GoM divided over caste census

Divided over whether caste should be included in census, a Group of Ministers (GoM) today failed to reach a conclusion on the politically-sensitive issue and decided that the government would seek views of political parties on the matter. The parties will be asked to respond within four weeks, the GoM, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, decided.

The Ministerial body discussed the controversial issue in detail for about 90 minutes, deliberating on pros and cons of including caste in census, sources said. Some members of the GoM favoured inclusion of caste while others were opposed, contending that it could harm the social fabric of the country, they said. “The Group of Ministers discussed threadbare issues before it and decided to meet again. We will meet soon,” HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters after the meeting.

Government had last month decided to set up the GoM on the controversial issue after consensus eluded at two meetings of the Union Cabinet.

Parties like SP, RJD and JD(U) are strongly in favour of including caste in census and disrupted proceedings of Parliament in the last Budget Session by pressing their demands. They are likely to raise the issue during Monsoon Session of Parliament expected to commence in the third week of this month. There are divisions even within Congress over the issue.

Caste census was last conducted in the country in 1931. Besides Mukherjee, the GoM includes Home Minister P Chidambaram, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

Of them, Moily, who has been the most vocal supporter of including caste in census, left soon after the meeting began.

Abdullah, Pawar and Banerjee also did not attend meeting. The issue of inclusion of caste in census has triggered a debate with a section opposing it saying that it would divide the society on caste lines while others advocate that it would ensure fairer distribution of resources to the backward and downtrodden sections of the society. Reports had it that Chidambaram had suggested that the caste-based census should be included in the second phase of the ongoing census exercise and clubbed with the biometric card data to ease the logistical constraints.