Anand Sharma questions Congress stand on caste census: ‘Not a solution for unemployment, inequalities’

Interestingly, Sharma in his letter has also quoted Indira Gandhi, saying her clarion call in the 1980 Lok Sabha elections was “Na jaat par na paat par, Mohar lagegi Haath par” and Rajiv Gandhi’s September 1990 speech in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on the Mandal Commission report, when he said, “We have problems if caste is defined to enshrine casteism in our country …”

In his letter, Sharma said while “divisive agenda, issues of gender justice, unemployment, inflation, and rising inequality are shared concerns of the Congress, its alliance partners and progressive forces”, the national caste census had emerged as an important issue in the electoral debate and endorsed by the INDIA alliance of which the Congress is a part.

“Parties of the alliance also include those which have pursued caste-based politics for long. However, the Congress policy on social justice is based on a mature and informed understanding of the complexities of Indian society. Leaders of the national movement were firmly committed to emancipating those who had historically suffered denial and discrimination. Affirmative action, as enshrined in the Constitution, provides for reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. That reflects the collective wisdom of the framers of the Indian Constitution. Decades later, OBCs were included as a special category and accordingly given the benefit of reservations. That has found acceptance across the country now for 34 years,” he said.

“Though caste is a reality of Indian society, the Congress has never engaged in nor endorsed identity politics. That is detrimental to democracy in a society with a rich diversity of region, religion, caste and ethnicity. As a representative National Party, Congress has believed in the inclusive approach, which is non-discriminatory in formulating policies for equity and social justice for the poor and the under-privileged,” he added.

Quoting Indira and Rajiv, Sharma wrote, “Departure from the historic position is a matter of concern for many Congressmen and women across the country” and “calls for reflection.”

“In my humble opinion, this will be misconstrued as disrespecting the legacy of Indira ji and Rajiv ji. Also by default, that will be an indictment of successive Congress Governments and their work for empowerment of the disadvantaged sections. It also provides a handle to detractors and political opponents of the congress,” he said.

The Congress, according to him, has been sensitive to the cause of the poor and the underprivileged and remains committed to their social and economic empowerment. “The UPA Government brought a transformation with MNREGA and right to food security thereby creating a National Social Security. Bringing 140 million people out of the poverty net was a proud achievement. Social and economic backwardness has always been the sole guiding criteria for affirmative action.It needs mention, that the last census to enumerate caste differentiation, was in 1931 during the British colonial regime. After independence, a conscious policy decision was made by the Government not to canvas caste-related questions in the census, except for SCs and STs, which are collected by the States. All Census Commissioners, after independence, have recorded their reasons and disapproval of a National Caste Census citing overlap, duplication, data lacking in accuracy and doubtful authenticity,” he said.

“In my considered view, a Caste Census can not be a panacea nor a solution for unemployment and prevailing inequalities. A fundamental departure from time honoured policy on this critical and sensitive subject has major long-term national implications. As a party with an inclusive approach, the Congress should strive to reclaim its role as builder of national consensus and build a harmonious society. The articulation of Party position should be balanced and eschew the radical posturing of regional and caste based organisations,” he said.

Sharma said he wrote the letter as the Congress “has firmly believed in transparency, democratic discussion and respected freedom of expression”.

Sharma was a prominent member of the G-23 group of Congress leaders who wrote to then Congress president Sonia Gandhi in 2020 seeking organisational reforms. His distance from the party leadership grew in 2022 when, ahead of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, he resigned as the chairperson of the steering committee for the state polls. In his resignation letter, Sharma said he felt “humiliated” by the “continuing insults and deliberate exclusions”. But he joined the party’s campaign as the polls drew nearer.