Caste Census in Bihar

Who is not aware of the caste-based politics in Bihar? Politics on caste is enshrined in the roots of Bihar and one cannot imagine an election without the candidates asking people to vote merely on the basis of their caste. The political parties use all sorts of statistics available to formulate different sorts of caste equations to win elections. Coalitions are formed on this very basis that which party brings which caste under its ambit. If the caste equation sets right or the majority castes support a party, its win is assured in the state of Bihar. However, caste-based politics is not just an affair in Bihar. Such politics is also very prevalent in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Haryana, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. Nevertheless, caste is one of the most important factors in Bihar. In Bihar, a leader is not a leader but a Yadav face, a Bhumiar face, a Muslim face, and so on. Time and again, political parties try to woo people of different castes just to gain votes. Nothing is done for the upliftment of the downtrodden castes and the people are merely used as vote banks. The pompous promises that are made before elections hold no water once the election is won. This is the reason for the miserable condition of Bihar or 'the bimaru state.' 

Recently, the state government of Bihar has begun a state-wide caste survey. The bill to conduct this survey was presented and passed unanimously in Bihar legislative assembly. Such consensus-ad-idem or meeting of minds of the opposition and the ruling party is a rare event in Indian politics. No political party could bear the badge of being anti-minority. Bihar government even pressed for such a survey to be conducted at the national level but the central government did not approve of it. Seeing their efforts meeting a dead end, the adamant Bihar government decided to single-handedly conduct this expensive affair.  Bihar, which is dependent on the central government for nearly all its major projects, is conducting a survey that will exhaust 500 crores of its state treasury. Nearly five lakh government employees will be involved in this exercise which will take nearly five months to complete. The issue is being increasingly politicized. The Chief Minister and the deputy chief minister have talked at length about the benefits of such a survey. Undoubtedly, statistics is very important in drafting major policies, schemes, and subsidies. The survey can prove beneficial in managing social equity programs. The information on the actual size of the caste and sub-castes will help in various public distribution systems. This data will also help to analyze the contribution of different castes in different sectors of society. Statistics such as the percentage of working women in different castes will help draft targeted policies for women empowerment. However, these benefits will reap only if the intention of the government is clear and the data is used in good faith. The major apprehension lies in the misuse of this data. Undoubtedly, the data will be used by political parties to decide which sect they should impress to win election. This will increase vote bank politics.  

Caste census takes our society away from the goal of a casteless society. Even after 75 years of Independence if we have to sort the people on the basis of their caste is nothing but the proof of the failure of our system to remove the caste divide from society. Nevertheless, a caste census is being conducted with our tax money. Ideally, it can be beneficial for drafting government policies and social welfare. However, the concern of the data being used as political bait to increase polarisation in society and woo voters for winning elections remains. The only thing we as citizens can do is wish that the pros outdo the cons.