In a major development, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), BJP’s ideological parent, extended its support to the nationwide caste census on Monday calling it a sensitive issue.
The RSS said that the caste census should be held for the betterment of the people and not for electoral gains. The organisation noted that it is important to know the number of people in each caste to work for their development.
“There should not be caste census for electoral gains. Caste census should be held for the betterment of the people. This is a sensitive issue and there should be no politics over it. It is important to know the number of people in each caste for their development,” the RSS said.
Notably, the Congress-led Opposition has been advocating the caste census in the country and pressing the Centre to conduct the same. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had said in the lower house that once the INDIA bloc comes to power, it will conduct the caste census.
It also said that no step in the direction of sub-classification of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes should be taken without the consensus of the communities concerned. Political parties, including the BJP, have been wary of taking a stand on the issue given the opposition to it from SC/ST groups.
Addressing a press conference, RSS Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar said: “The RSS thinks that definitely, for all welfare activities, particularly those targeting such communities or castes which are lagging behind – for whom special attention is needed – for that, if sometimes the government needs the numbers, it is a well-established practice”.
Earlier also, he said that the government has taken (such data), and so it can do it again. “But it should be done only for the welfare of those communities and castes. It should not be used as a political tool for elections. So we put this forth with a line of caution for everyone,” he added.
Ambekar was talking to the media on the last day of the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Samnvay Baithak of the RSS being held in Palakkad, Kerala.