Amidst allegations of suppressing facts, the Centre on Thursday announced that it will release the data related to the socioeconomic caste census “as early as possible”. The Cabinet today gave its nod to form a committee under NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya to classify the caste names returned in the Socio Economic and Caste Census, 2011 (SECC).

“When the task is completed, it will be made public at an appropriate time,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

This decision is in line with the one taken by the UPA government in May 2011. Based on the decision of the previous government, the present regime released the SECC on July 3 sans caste details. This attracted criticism from various political outfits such as the Samajwadi Party, JD(U), RJD, DMK and the Left parties.

Jaitley said the caste census conducted by the Registrar General of India had come out with 46 lakh categories of castes, sub-castes, different surnames in the castes and clan names. These had been sent to the States about eight-nine months back for them to be clubbed to consolidate the caste count.

The Centre is keen to release the caste data at the earliest, as soon as the States send the details, because the committee headed by Panagariya will only then be able to classify them, added the Finance Minister.

“It will be good if the States that are politicising it send their caste consolidation recommendation at the earliest. They cannot hold back the recommendation and then say you please release it,” he said, adding, that the number of States that have already sent the data back after clubbing them is “negligible”. It many be noted that the SECC has been released for the first time after 1932.

The Jat example

Talking about vast populations of caste/sub-caste names, synonyms, surnames, clans and gothra names thrown up during enumeration and challenges associated with classifying them, Jaitley cited the example of the Jat community, which uses different titles.

Their surnames and clan names have to be consolidated by the respective States to arrive at the number of specific castes, he pointed out. “Most States have not come out with their responses so far,” he said, adding that they will obviously take time in completing the exercise.

Political issue

The caste census issue is at present a political hot potato.

BJP rivals, particularly in Bihar and UP, have alleged that the government is not releasing the data because it is wary of its electoral fallout.

The government has, however, denied any political reason behind not releasing the caste data.

Mindful of the strength of OBCs in the Hindi heartland, the BJP has formed an OBC Morcha to boost its electoral fortunes in Bihar and UP, where polls will take place this year and in 2017 respectively, and where backward communities constitute a sizeable chunk of the population.

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