After Opposition and NDA allies, RSS indicates support for caste census

The last day of the national coordination conclave of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at Palakkad in Kerala saw the organisation indicating its support for a caste census in the country, while emphasising that it should not be used for political or electoral purposes.

Addressing a press conference on Monday (September 2), the RSS publicity in-charge Sunil Ambedkar advised caution, saying: “As a Hindu society, caste and caste relations are sensitive issues. It is an important issue for our national unity and integrity. So it should be dealt with very sensitively and not on the basis of elections or electoral practices and politics.”

Call for consensus

This is a significant move, given the fact that the BJP, the political arm of the Sangh Parivar, has been evading the issue for quite some time. The Opposition and even some of the BJP's allies like the JD(U) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) have been batting for a national caste census.

The JD(U)-led government in Bihar went a step further and even conducted a caste survey in the state last year.

The BJP, while not opposing it openly, has not made any commitment till now. The party’s reaction to the RSS Palakkad statement will be watched with interest, especially since in the past it had accused the Congress of using the caste census to “divide the Hindu society”.

By stressing the welfare aspect of the caste census, the RSS seems to be giving the government an opportunity to use it as the reason to go ahead with it.

The RSS said there should be a consensus among the communities enjoying the benefits of reservations on the way forward, and that no step should be taken without consultation and building a consensus.

Signs of rift between RSS and BJP

The Palakkad statement of the RSS on the caste census and the sub-classification of SC/STs are renewed signs of the divergence of views between the BJP and its parent body.

Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP president JP Nadda had said that the BJP no longer needed the help of the RSS to win elections and could function on its own.

Reality has now set in, and the growing rift between the two organisations has manifested itself in the RSS statement at Palakkad.