Dr. Ambedkar’s Opinion on Indian Census and Why There Should Be Caste-Census in 2021
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar expressed his opinion on Indian Census on 26th October 1947, as follows: Editors.
“The Census of India has over a number of decades ceased to be an operation in demography. It has become a Political affair. Every community seems to be attempting to artificially argument its numbers at the cost of some other community for the sake of capturing greater and greater degree of political power in its own hands. The Scheduled Castes seem to have been made a common victim for the satisfaction of the combined greed of the other communities who through their propagandists or enumerators are able to control the operations and the results of the Census.” [Source – Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches, Vol 17 (1)]
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As next census 2021 will start in the coming year, we must demand that caste census also be carried out along with it. Last caste census was done in 1931 and after that Manuwadi governments have ignored it. Without knowing the exact population of different communities how can the government formulate policies for the different communities? On what basis the government is forming its policies on the reservation to scholarships to social welfare is not known.
The first caste-census was done in 1871 during the British times and results of which were published in 1872 and is known as the Census of 1872. This Census did not cover all territories possessed or controlled by the British. In this Census a House Register was canvassed with 17 questions. The information collected pertains to name, age, religion, caste or class, race or nationality, attending school /college and able to read and write. [Source]
The first synchronous census of India was done in 1881 and from that time to 1931 caste-census was carried out by the British government and everyone knew what is the percentage of different caste communities.
In 1941, second world war started so census was not fully done and data was not released.
In 1947 India got independence and the first census of independent India is scheduled for 1951 but politicians decide that as India is independent now and moving towards modern world and democracy, there is no need of caste census. Accordingly, the Census Act came into force in 1948 (Act No.37 of 1948). The censuses of the post-independence era were conducted as per the provisions of this Act. Following the Gandhian ideology that castes will become irrelevant in independent India and caste counting would further create divisions, caste census wasn’t carried out in 1951. Caste census of SC/STs continues as there were provisions in the constitution to give reservation, what stopped was counting of OBCs and so-called upper castes.
It was one of the biggest mistakes to believe that castes would become irrelevant in independent India. Caste still matters and Indians are still obsessed with castes.
There was no data were available on OBCs and demand for OBCs’ representation was increasing day by day. On 1st January 1979, Mandal commission was established with a mandate to “identify the socially or educationally backward classes” of India. Mandal commission used the data from 1931 caste census along with some sample surveys to come to percentage population of OBCs. Mandal commissions also recommend that caste census be carried out as soon as possible to better formulate policies for OBCs.
Mandal commission’s report is implemented in 1991 and decision is taken that with 2001 census, caste census will be carried out.
But in 1996, BJP led NDA government came to power for 13 days and Atal Bihari Vajpayee became Prime Minister for 13 days. One of the main decisions that BJP government took during these 13 days was to stop caste census! Such is the threat to Brahminical hegemony on the name of caste census!
For 2010, once again discussion in Parliament takes place on whether caste census be conducted or not in 2011 and all parties including Congress, BJP, agree that caste census should be carried out as Supreme Court is asking for data time and again whenever any decision is taken on implementation of welfare schemes based on caste so it would be better to have caste census. But Congress, which was in power in 2011, does mischief once again and decides that let normal census take place and caste census be carried out separately. Caste census could have been easily done along with the census by just adding one extra column in the forms is shifted to total separate caste census, betraying Indians and wasting money.
It took almost 5 years to complete that separate caste census and released as Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC) but the government of India hasn’t released the full data since then. Caste-related data is deliberately withheld. This caste census was conducted by spending 5,000 crores of the central government budget and data was not released! Such was the merit of this caste census that there were almost 8 crore errors in the caste data and almost 47 lakh categories of caste were found in the results!
In 1931, when there were around 6000 castes, turned into 47 lakh by 2011. How did this happen? Such a caste census was just mockery of census and betrayal to all of us. So, after spending around 5000 crores on it, what we got was 8 crore errors!
Who had most hold over the resources among the so-called upper castes? Is there any single caste group among so-called upper castes which is enjoying all the benefits? No one knows the real figures. If you want to know how many tigers or other animals are there in India, one can find the official data but one can’t find any data on what is the percentage population of different caste groups.
Who is benefiting from hiding and not conducting caste census? Who is afraid of caste census?
Census in India is done under census act 1948 and census is completed within a month so if governments are sincere toward the welfare of different communities, they must carry-out caste census along with the 2021 census.
We must demand that caste census be carried out in 2021 so that everyone knows which caste group is eating others’ share. As Dr. Ambedkar said, SCs have been the victim of the fallacious census, we must come forward and demand fair and just census also.
Author – Pardeep Attri
[irp]
One observation of Dr Ambedkar that census reports of colonial rulers provided the best social history of India encouraged me to study census reports as carefully and elaborately as possibly. And I can say with humility that I have gained great insight into Indian socio-cultural life based on census reports between 1872-1931.
I’ve in my possession all volumes of census report [pertaining to Bengal, Bihar & Orissa] between 1871 to 1931 and some of free India. Anybody will feel proud to possess those volumes, reports and statistical tables. There were, bisides, district census reports, which formed basis of final reports for censuses.
Plague which hit at Bombay in 1896 carried off over 5 crore people in next 30 years. Provincial census reports give at length the history of the plague havoc. Bombay Presidency & Punjab suffered most, followed by UP, Bihar, Central Provinces & Berar. Bengal Madras Presidency, Orissa, almost remained immune save and except few sporadic attacks. In Punjab, Brahmans and Bania died “like flies” [this was how District Magistrate, Jullundhar reported to government] whenever their villages were visited by plague.
In Poona which was badly hit by plague immediately after Bombay was invaded, Brahmans suffered the most—over 60% of some 250 deaths in the first years were Brahmans.
By the way, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and others who established Hindoo Plague Hospital which had rules that denied privilege of admission of low caste plague patients in this hospital. Muslim and Parsi communities had separate Plague hospitals as well but were from prejudice Talik & Co. had made into rule for admission.
In Poona, Damodar Chapaukar and his brother Bal Krishna Chapauker along with some conspiratorial Chitpawan Brahmans had killed young ICS officer Charles Rand, the Poona Plague Commissioner and his colleague on plagur duty Lieutenant Ayerst because he enforced rules of Plague prevention and suppression most effectively. Both Chapauker brothers were hanged by the British. Tilka praised both as the first martyrs of freedom struggles in his ‘Kesari’. This earned him jail sentence.
Death of 5 crores of Indians were largely, I apprehend, due to sullen British apathy which no Indian had moral ground to criticize till date.
True, to analyse the caste number for equitable distribution of all resources which will the real reservation caste wise, it’s a must that the ensuing census of 2021 must be caste wise with specific note.