Counting castes in India has sparked intense debate, with proponents arguing that a census will provide a sharper picture of who benefits from affirmative action and who falls behind. However, critics like scholar-activist Anand Teltumbde warn that the exercise may harden discriminatory caste systems.
Teltumbde sees the modern caste census as a colonial echo, which reifies and hardens hierarchy rather than dismantling it. He argues that bureaucratizing inequality through counting can reduce politics to arithmetic, distracting from deeper social injustices like land ownership, education, and power dynamics.
Supporters of a caste census counter that it will make welfare spending more targeted and help recalibrate quotas in jobs and education with hard evidence. Sociologist Satish Deshpande notes that the lack of reliable caste data obscures both privilege and deprivation.
However, scholars also acknowledge that counting castes can be fraught with challenges, such as sub-categorization, which aims to divide broader caste groups into smaller ones so the most disadvantaged receive a fair share of quotas and benefits. Sonalde Desai warns that endless enumeration may not remedy a system built on hierarchy, prompting Prof Teltumbde to question the purpose of counting.
The looming 2027 national census marks a significant shift in India’s approach to caste enumeration, with implications for affirmative action policies and social justice. As the debate continues, it remains uncertain whether a caste census will expose inequality or entrench it, highlighting the need for thoughtful policymaking that considers both caste and income levels.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn51qdg5ywgo