Kerala government begins deliberations on the demand for holding a Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) in the State with K. Radhakrishnan, the Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, holding a primary discussion with the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan the other day.
“The government has not firmed up its view on the issue and doesn’t want to thrust its views upon the State. We hope to evolve a consensus on the issue after holding discussions with all sections of the society including political parties,” Mr. Radhakrishnan told The Hindu.
With the 2024 General election around the corner and the SECC being raised as an election issue, the State government is treading a careful path on the topic. The conflicting positions taken by some of the influential socio-religious organisations have complicated the situation for the government. While the Nair Service Society has strongly opposed the idea of holding an SECC in the State, the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, an organisation claiming to represent the interests of the Ezhava community, is vociferously campaigning for the exercise. The Yogam even went one step further to demand population-based representation for Ezhavas in power after the SECC.
The recently held SECC in Bihar has fuelled the demand for similar exercises in other parts of the country. The Congress Working Committee resolution that the party, if voted back to power, will conduct a nationwide caste census has added a political dimension to SECC. The party has also offered to remove the 50 per cent cap on reservation through legislation. The ruling BJP seems to be reluctant about the caste-based survey.
Mr. Radhakrishnan said the State government didn’t want to cause any social discord in the name of the census. As the Parliament election is due, there would be attempts to misinterpret any decisions of the government. The question of holding SECC needs to be discussed in the CPI (M) and the Left Democratic Front. The views of other political parties as well as social organisations will also matter. The government will arrive at a decision only after wider discussions, Mr. Radhakrishnan said.
