Karnataka Caste Census
By Poonam I Kaushish
The caste genie unleashed by our polity nearly three decades ago bared its poisonous fangs again in Karnataka whereby casteism is the cause célèbre. No matter its manifestations are complex — sometimes visceral, at other times insidious giving further impetus and widening caste divide. Who cares?
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented a copy of the caste census Socioeconomic Educational Survey (SES) 2015 by Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes (commissioned 2014 during his previous tenure) to his Cabinet which will discuss it Thursday. But a leaked copy is a hot potato if its’ data is to be believed.
Rub your eyes, Muslims are Karnataka’s single largest community 12.87%, next Scheduled Castes 12% with politically and economically powerful Veerashaiva Lingayats 11.09% third, Vokkaligas10.31% fourth, Kurubas 7.38%, ST 7.1%, ST Valmiki-Nayaka 30,31,656 (5.07%).
Brahmins are just 2.98%, Jains 0.70%, Christians 1.44%, OBC (others) 2.96%, Devangas 1.05% among 167 castes surveyed including Badagas with 32 members and 0.56% having ‘no caste.’ The survey covered 98% rural and 95% urban population, totaling 6.35 crore of which 37 lakhs were left out for unknown reasons.
Armed with this, the State Government’s plans increasing OBC reservation from existing 32% to 51% and ‘backward’ Muslims from 4% to 8%, totaling 73.5% including 15% for SCs and 7.5% STs over 50% Supreme Court’s capping, stirring a political controversy.
Even as Siddaramaiah promises to place census in the Assembly justifying it “essential as none had been conducted since 1931 despite Supreme and High Courts repeatedly asking State Government to provide empirical data to better understand socio-economic conditions of various communities.”
Predictably, this has changed political equations, ruffled feathers of community leaders threatening their political dominance and divided Congress on caste lines with angry netas calling it “unscientific and bogus” urging Government to junk it. Lingayat leaders accused the Commission of “undercounting Lingayats.” “We will not accept this report under any circumstances. We will appeal to Government to conduct a fresh caste census.”
Vokkaligas yelled blue murder. If accurate, this data suggests Lingayats and Vokkaligas are significantly overrepresented in Constitutional bodies. Currently, over 50% MLAs belong to these two communities.
Other brazenly said “increase reservation even if it leads to Government fall.” Resentment is rife even amongst Brahmins which could outweigh political benefits Congress might gain from OBCs as they are not a cohesive group.
Besides, if the report is released, it will need to be backed by strong political, administrative, and welfare measures, which would be a major challenge. “The census has become a political dilemma for Siddaramaiah. It is hot ghee, he can neither spit it out nor swallow it,” said another leader. Thereby, turning Karnataka’s caste-ridden politics on its head.
The beleaguered Chief Minister feels he is untouchable, safer in his chair till the decision on census implementation which might take a year or two. Also, he is supported by Kurubas as he is one and it would reconsolidate his AHINDA (minorities, backward classes, SC/STs) alliance, further giving Congress a strong political platform to stop BJP-JD(S) in their tracks.
The BJP retaliated accusing Congress of minority appeasement trying to leverage caste for political gains. Calling Siddaramaiah “villain who has stooped low, it seems he has dictated the report. No way are Muslims majority community.” Gowda’s JD(S) is cautiously following developments while OBCs are upbeat as it would completely change Karnataka’s socio-political scene in their favour. Not a few feel Government has thrown a stone at a beehive.
Congress’s central leadership avers caste census goal is OBCs welfare. Sic. It’s a ploy to divide Hindu votes on caste lines to weaken BJP. Said a senior leader, “Caste census would open another flank and create problems for BJP. The axis would be pro-Modi vs anti-Modi and we will try to mobilise OBCs. This will be Mandal 2.0, different from Mandal 1.0 which involved aggressive OBC mobilization.”
Fueled by Mandalistation, politics, is now polarised on caste basis with elections being fought on caste considerations. Voters are regressively but decisively voting along caste lines. After all, why should Brahmins and Thakurs, only 15% of vote-bank, rule the roost? Plainly, political consciousness terminates at the caste level today.
Besides, a caste census would help address historical injustices and discrimination, be useful in formulating appropriate policies to target Government welfare schemes and policies ensuring they reach intended beneficiaries. Thereby, giving the rootless down-trodden a new identity and attitudinal changes.
Sadly to gain vote-banks none have paid heed to the Frankenstein they have unleashed. Failing to realize politicisation of caste is a double-edged sword. Caste needs politics as much as politics need caste. When caste groupings make politics their sphere of activities they get a chance to assert their identity and strive for power and position.
True, none can fault granting equal opportunities to all. But whether this would translate into equal outcome is debatable. Questionably, will not caste further fractionalize national politics. BJP hasn’t taken any position as it could pose a big challenge to its Hindutva campaign which would cause its vote-share to fragment, even as it tries to consolidate different castes in under Hindutva.
Further, conducting a caste census could lead to political risks. An enumeration of OBCs in a census would provide not only hard data about their numerical strength in different States but also help examine OBC share in State institutions specially judiciary, educational establishments which are controlled and monopolized by social elites giving Dalits and Bahujan groups miniscule presence.
It could lead to demands for increased representation and reservation for these groups potentially disrupting the existing power dynamics and political representation. Resulting, in new political consciousness among socially marginalized groups, consequently initiating a new movement for social justice which could marginalize BJP.
Conversely, the more demands for caste surveys are raised, there is an equally greater opportunity for BJP to package it as ‘divisive agenda’ against their ‘national unification call’ centred around Hindutva. Any wonder UP Chief Minister Yogi has declared Sanatana Dharma as the only religion to counter caste survey. No matter this could open a Pandora’s box.
Currently, BJP sees OBCs as two blocks —- dominant and non-dominant, upper and lower. It intends to woo dominant castes like Yadavs, Kurmis, and Kushwahas in Bihar and UP and Vokkaligas in Karnataka. Any sub-categorisation will close doors on these sub-castes and make Mandal 1 progenies Akhilesh, Lalu and Nitish stronger in their communities.
Anti-caste thinkers assert a census is important to understand the granular effect of caste on education, employment, economic attainment levels and inter-generational mobility. Arguing as caste is a socio-economic reality having hard data on its impact is the only way to frame policies. Eliding the effect of caste skews scales even more against marginalized groups.
Clearly, in the Kafkaesque world where caste identity is sticky baggage, difficult to dislodge in social settings and where caste vs caste fight and decide one’s fate, no Party wants to jeopordise its caste vote-banks. Wherein, the fight for getting the upper hand and votes has been reduced to politics of optics and perception, underscoring present reality and exposes the socio-political undercurrents at play.
Undoubtedly, the caste Frankenstein must be stopped. This is no time for mindless populism of social group politics as it will only further divide people on caste lines and increase the chasm between haves and have-nots. If Bharat has to reach its pinnacle of success it cannot revel in petty politricks. —— INFA