Andhra Pradesh has jumped on to the bandwagon of States that are pressing the need for conducting Backward Classes (BCs) census, along with the 20221 national census to fulfil the long-standing demand of various communities.
Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Telangana have already joined the chorus for the caste-wise census.
The State Cabinet has authorised BC Welfare Minister Ch. Venu Gopala Krishna to table a resolution in Andhra Pradesh Assembly urging the Union Government to take up a caste census. This would be the second resolution, if adopted by the Assembly, as a similar resolution was adopted during the TDP rule.
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The A.P. government’s move has many dimensions, including political, and ‘urgent need to respond’ to demand from the BC communities. The steam for caste census has picked up with BC leaders such as R. Krishnaniah, Kesana Sankar Rao meeting the political parties at the national level to garner their support. Many regional and national parties have responded positively, while the Union government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has kept its options open on the matter.
Quota limit
There is an argument that implementation of Articles 15 (4) and 16 (4) of the Constitution dealing with reservations for Backward Classes in educational institutions and government services was not possible without estimating the population of BCs to understand the proportion of their representation in various walks of life.
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The socio-economic caste census (SECC) has the potential to allow for a mapping of inequalities at a broader level. However, the underlying factor behind the demand is the idea that the existing cap of 50% reservation in government institutions should be done away on the ground that it is not proportional to the caste composition in India.
The caste census was last conducted in 1931, and even the data of Socio-Economic and Caste Census-2011 conducted by the Centre have not been released till date. While the commission was mandated to collect quantifiable data for each of the identified castes and tribes.
Changing dynamics
After the 2019 elections in Andhra Pradesh, both the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have been leaving no stone unturned to woo the BCs. Once, the BCs were considered as the backbone of the TDP, but the dynamics changed during and after the 2019 elections. The YSRCP government has set up 56 corporations for 139 BC castes in the State.
Again a Most Backward Classes Corporation has been set up for the welfare of 32 castes, which are mostly nomadic.
“There are many castes that have not been recognised so far. The caste enumeration will help devise policies for their welfare, education, employment and etc., apart from increasing their representation politically,” says Mr. Venu Gopala Krishna.
The TDP, on its part, has dashed a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pointing to the fact that the BCs constituted a majority of the population in the country, but were a ‘neglected lot’. TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu recalled that Kaka Kalelkar Commission, the first BC Commission constituted in 1953, and other subsequent commissions, including the ones formed by the State governments, had recommended enumeration of the BCs.
‘Resolution not enough’
Andhra Pradesh BC Samkshema Sangham president Mr. Sankara Rao has, however, a different view. He says that passing a resolution only would not suffice. Many resolutions, including the one on the Kapu quota, have been fed to the trash can. “The State government should take a delegation and mount pressure on the Centre. The caste census will certainly help many communities, which are hitherto denied share in in politics,” he says.
The BJP, which supported the caste census earlier, informed the Lok Sabha in July this year that the 2021 census would not have a caste count. the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the 2021 census and it will now be conducted next year, with the preliminary results expected in 2023-24 financial year.