Deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Chhagan Bhujbal has ruled out the possibility that the caste census would create a further divide in the society. He said that it is the propaganda carried out by some people who are against caste-based census.
According to Mr Bhujbal, a caste census would in fact bring the society together..
“Can we say that we have been able to get rid of the caste system in the last 63 years? The caste system is still very much part of our society. Even today we come across many instances of caste discrimination,” said Mr Bhujbal, who has been fighting to have a separate census for the Other Backward Classes since 1992.
According to Mr Bhujbal, the caste census would bring people who are divided into many castes and sub-castes together, under four categories. He said, “Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar has given us a beautiful Constitution. He classified people under four categories i.e. backward class, other backward class, tribal and the open category. The caste census will unite people, who are divided into thousands of castes and even more sub-castes, under four categories.”
Mr Bhujbal further said that the caste census would help people, who have been kept away from development, in getting facilities such as reservations in accordance with their population.
He had formed a social outfit, “Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad” in 1992, to unite all the people belonging to the OBC and push for various demands of the community, including a separate census. Mr Bhujbal has also written letters to the Central government demanding a separate census for the OBCs. “The caste census would help the OBCs in getting 27 per cent reservations. When the Mandal Commission recommended reservations for the OBCs, the matter went up to the Supreme Court. Recently, when reservation was given to the OBCs in IIMs and IITs, some people challenged it again in the SC. On both occasions, the court enquired about the exact population of the OBCs, but the data was not available. The caste census would help people in getting legitimate reservations,” Mr Bhujbal said.
The DCM added that the last OBC census was done in 1931, when the community made up 54 per cent of the population. “Therefore, our demand for 27 per cent reservation is fair. Let there be a fresh caste-based census and we would know the exact population of the OBCs and other categories,” he said.