New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) In an obvious attempt to buy time, the highly emotive demand of political parties for conducting a caste-based census was Wednesday referred by the cabinet to a group of ministers for a decision.
‘The cabinet has accorded in-principle approval to referring the issue to a group of ministers,’ an official source said after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
‘There was an intense discussion in the cabinet on the issue and it was felt that, given the diverse views on the issue, it would be best that a group of ministers consider such an emotive issue,’ the source said.
‘The modalities of creating the group of ministers is being worked out,’ the source added.
While the sources wouldn’t confirm this, the group of ministers is likely to be headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who has emerged as the government’s top trouble-shooter on contentious issues.
The issue had generated considerable heat in the just-concluded budget session of parliament with near unanimity among the parties – both ruling and opposition – in the Lok Sabha on the demand for a caste-based census. Janata Dal-United’s (JD-U) Sharad Yadav even warned of a ‘volcanic eruption’ (of backward class people) if this was not done.
Speaking on the concluding day of the session May 7, Manmohan Singh said: ‘Home Minister (P. Chidambaram) has laid a detailed statement on the issue of Census 2011. I am aware of the views of honourable members belonging to all sections of the house. I assure you the cabinet will take a decision shortly.’
He spoke in a similar vein at his national press conference Monday to mark the first anniversary of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s second tenure.
A day before the Lok Sabha adjourned, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Left parties, the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) strongly supported the demand for a caste-based census.
Some constituents in the UPA government, including the DMK, the National Conference and the Muslim League, were also in agreement.
While some Congress MPs like Sandip Dikshit and Beni Prasad Verma supported the caste-based census, Lal Singh and Bhakta Charan Das said caste-based politics should be avoided.
On May 7, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, while replying to a short duration discussion on the issue in the Lok Sabha, said that ‘nothing should be done that may affect the integrity of population census’.
Mentioning the problems in including caste in the census, he opposed a caste-based count of people in the upcoming exercise.
‘After Independence, as a matter of policy, the question relating to caste, other than the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, was not included,’ he added.
The prime minister’s statement had come after this.
Also on May 7, prominent OBC (other backward classes) leaders from the BJP, the RJD, the SP and the JD-U met Finance Minister Mukherjee on the issue.
The meeting was also attended by Chidambaram and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.
The last caste-based Census was conducted in 1931 during the British rule.
