Caste census BJP’s bid to stop erosion of broader Hindu unity

NEW DELHI: The want to negate efforts to retard broader Hindu consolidation seems to have performed a serious function within the resolution of the cupboard committee on political affairs (CCPA) to embrace caste enumeration within the subsequent census. While political watchers are linking the transfer to meeting elections in Bihar, sources identified that the political subject had been levelled within the state with the caste survey already accomplished.
Besides, the transfer was intently related to chief minister Nitish Kumar, BJP’s alliance accomplice, leaving little area for RJD’s Tejaswi Yadav to declare bragging rights. A serious consideration seems to have been to examine makes an attempt to cut up Hindus on caste strains, a trigger for concern for BJP and RSS, which has been engaged on Hindu consolidation since inception.

Sources identified that the choice got here hours after a one-on-one assembly between PM Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday, which capped parleys at totally different ranges of the Sangh and BJP management.
The electoral success of BJP during the last decade has been facilitated largely by agglomeration of many caste teams coming along with OBCs and higher castes making a standard trigger. Starting with the 2024 basic elections there was a concerted try to splinter the coalition by reviving the thesis of OBC-dalit-Muslim unity, which can have resulted in some teams shifting in direction of the Mandal pillar. The newest transfer might assist BJP arrest the drift and make contemporary bridges.
It was, nonetheless, not clear that the estimate of a nationalist resurgence, which is able to supplant any ‘savarna’ resentment over caste census, was half of the bigger calculus. In addition, BJP insiders recommended the celebration stands on a stronger footing, having seized the primary speaking level from the opposition by taking the initiative, which Congress couldn’t obtain regardless of its lengthy governance tenure.
They stated that the celebration can rightfully declare that it has delivered whereas Congress solely talked about it. While there was preliminary apprehension in regards to the resolution on caste enumeration, the general evaluation was that the caste surveys in some of the states had not prompted a lot turbulence on the bottom.
BJP sources stated that there was no “unease” as PM Modi is himself an OBC, whereas events like Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal, are recognized with dominant OBC castes, which may repel with polarisation of smaller castes towards it. The celebration can be assured of higher caste help because it has already applied a ten% quota for the economically weaker sections (EWS).
Janata Dal (United) nationwide working president Sanjay Kumar Jha additionally welcomed the transfer, calling it a big step for the upliftment of disadvantaged sections. “Nitish Kumar clearly believes that it is necessary to have accurate data of various castes for the purpose of reducing socio-economic inequality and making accurate plans for the welfare of the targeted sections,” he added.