BJP gets signal from Nagpur to oppose caste-based census

NEW DELHI: Even as BJP speaks in different voices on the demand for a caste-based census, its fountainhead, RSS, has come out firmly against the proposal.

``The RSS is following the principles of late Dalit leader Babasaheb Ambedkar. Right from the beginning, RSS has been in favour of a casteless society and any attempt to dilute it will hurt the sentiments of people,’’ RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi told newspersons in Nagpur on Sunday.

The RSS sees the demand as going against its mission of building a casteless society. Like the post-Mandal era, when the voices in favour reservation in government jobs for OBCs had drowned the Nagpur establishment’s efforts to create a society bereft of caste distinctions, it feels that a headcount on the basis of castes will only serve to accentuate these differences, rendering its task that much more difficult.

RSS, Mr Joshi emphasised, had been striving to build a casteless society. ``There should not be any hurry and the government should initiate a national debate on it. There needs to be a dialogue with various social groups in this regard,’’ he said.

When his attention was drawn towards BJP’s demand for inclusion of a provision of ‘OBC category’ in the national census records to identify their population, the RSS leader evaded a direct reply, arguing that it was for the BJP to decide.

``There is no provision for identifying and separating the illegal migrants in the country while preparing the National Population Register (NPR). This will prove to be a threat to the national security and integrity,’’ Mr Joshi said.

Preparation of a multi-utility identity card on the basis of NPR will be incorrect, he maintained. ``Therefore, RSS demands that identity cards be issued only after verification of nationality and the nationality provision should be the basis for NPR,’’ the RSS general secretary said.

BJP has been unable to hammer out a consensus. President Nitin Gadkari has voiced his opposition to the demand but general secretary Gopinath Munde, pitched in strongly in its favour. In the budget session the party had backed OBC parties in their demand for a caste-based census.
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