While the Opposition alliance INDIA has decided to take up its demand for the nationwide caste census vigorously, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), one of this 28-member grouping’s constituents, has remained opposed to it so far. Amid mounting pressure from the INDIA bloc for backing the caste census demand, the TMC leaders are now set to discuss it thoroughly with party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after her return from Spain in order to finalise the party’s stand on the issue. Currently, Mamata is on a tour of Spain to seek investment for Bengal. At the first meeting of the INDIA alliance’s coordination committee at NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s residence in Delhi on September 13, the parties had decided to push the caste census demand to counter the BJP's Hindutva narrative. However, the TMC was absent from this meeting as its leader in the panel, Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata’s nephew, was summoned on that day by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in connection with its probe into the alleged school jobs scam. During the INDIA grouping’s crucial Mumbai meeting during August 31-September 1 too, when the parties had made a pitch for the caste census, Mamata had expressed reservations on the matter. After its coordination panel meeting on September 13, when senior Congress leader K C Venugopal was asked about the TMC's stand over the caste census, he said the alliance will talk to the party. TMC leader Sougata Roy told The Indian Express: "Our leader Mamata Banerjee has already said that we are opposed to the caste census. We believe that such census will create division among the people." He, however, added that "We believe everything can be sorted out (within INDIA) at the negotiation table." TMC sources said Mamata has reservations on the caste census, adding that “she believes such a census may yield political dividends to the parties in the Hindi heartland, but may cause damage to the TMC”. A TMC leader said, "In Bengal, politics does not revolve around caste. If we support caste census that would, by extension, mean we are supporting caste-based politics, which would damage our standing and image in Bengal. However, we also need to continue with the INDIA alliance against the BJP. So a final decision on the caste census will be taken by our supremo Mamata Banerjee, who is now visiting Spain to attract business for Bengal. She will return to Kolkata on September 23 following which we are expecting to finalise our position.” Some of the key INDIA bloc partners, such as JD(U) supremo and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad have been staunch proponents of the caste census. In Bihar, ruled by the Nitish-led Mahagathbandhan including the RJD and Congress, a comprehensive caste survey has been undertaken to gather socio-economic and educational data on various castes. A senior TMC leader said, "We never did caste-based politics in Bengal, which has also not seen OBC (Other Backward Classes) politics. We fought against the erstwhile CPI(M)-led Left Front rule, which led us to champion the cause of SCs (Scheduled Castes), STs (Scheduled Tribes) and minorities. The BJP is now our main rival, which has already weaned away from us a section of our SCs/STs voters. BJP is a past master in doing OBC politics, which would get a fillip in the wake of the caste census. So, we don’t want the BJP to eventually emerge as a beneficiary in the event of such an exercise.” The OBCs make up a sizeable chunk of Bengal's population, whose estimates vary in the absence of a comprehensive caste-based enumeration. Of the state's quota pie, 22% is reserved for SCs, 6% for STs, 17% for OBCs. 3% for persons with disabilities and 5.2 per cent for EWS (Economically Weaker Section) among general categories. Among the major OBC communities in Bengal are Kurmis, Vaisyas, Gopes, Sutradhars, Swarnakars and Moiras among others, even as Muslims account for a majority of OBCs in the state list. Training its guns on the TMC on the issue, the CPI(M) charged that both the TMC and the BJP were against the caste census. The CPI(M)’s Central Committee member Sujan Chakraborty said, "We are demanding caste census and INDIA also gave statement demanding caste census, but only BJP and TMC are opposing this. One can easily understand the TMC from this.” State BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, "Those parties who are now in INDIA always used caste as a political issue but never addressed the actual socio-economic aspects. Our party always wants to see the society holistically. Our party also thinks that if caste census is at all necessary, it should be done by the Central government.”
