Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol. Thirumavalavan on Monday said Other Backward Class (OBC) communities and OBC leaders (those who support the BJP) must rethink their support for the RSS-BJP as they had “opposed reservations for OBCs and withdrawn support for former Prime Minister V.P. Singh when he wanted to implement recommendations of the Mandal Commission.“
Mr. Thirumavalavan made these comments at a seminar organised by the Tamil Nadu Congress OBC-Backward Classes Department about the need and importance for a caste census in India at Kamarajar Arangam in Chennai on Monday. The event was held following the recent speech made in Parliament by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who raised the question of why the Union government has not made the Caste Census data public.
The VCK chief said he was happy that a demand (Socioeconomic Caste Census), which has been made over the years by the Dravidar Kazhagam, Communist parties, and VCK, has been made mainstream by Mr. Gandhi.
“When he spoke about how just three Cabinet Secretaries belong to the OBC when Prime Minister Modi himself is an OBC....that was a question that needed to be asked. This should have been asked a long time ago. They (BJP) have now been cornered and are trying various ways to divert from the topic,” he said. Mr. Thirumavalavan said that only SC/ST data is being collected by census.
“We can know the population for each SC/ST in every State. There have been census to enumerate population of various religions. But, we don’t have such data for OBCs and forward communities. If such a caste census is done, then we will know how much is the Brahmin population. Periyar spoke about providing representation based on the population,” he said.
Mr. Thirumavalavan said V.P. Singh sacrificed his government to provide reservations for the OBCs based on the Mandal Commission.
“The RSS-BJP didn’t protest as much when reservations were guaranteed to SC/ST in the Constitution itself. They didn’t come to the streets and didn’t cause violence. But, when V.P. Singh decided to implement recommendations of the Mandal Commission, they (BJP) withdrew their support to his government and launched the Rath Yathra under the leadership of Advani. It was against the reservations of OBCs in education and jobs. The OBC leaders who support the BJP need to think about this. Across India, Ambedkarite organisations welcomed the reservations for OBCs but BJP-RSS opposed the reservations for OBCs who are Hindus. It is important for OBCs, minorities, SCs/STs to be united,” he said, adding, “So, who are the enemies of the OBCs? Is it RSS-BJP or Dalits?”
He welcomed the resolution passed in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) recently that there should be no upper limit for reservations, and it should be proportional to the population.
‘A leader with a vision’
“Rahul Gandhi is a leader with a vision and progressive. We are with the Congress because there is a threat to the Indian Constitution. The RSS asks why India cannot have a State religion like many other countries....but, I ask, other religions promote brotherhood, does your religion promote equality?”
Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani praised Mr. Rahul Gandhi for speaking about the socioeconomic caste census and said the seminar was strange in that those who are against caste are demanding a caste census.
“We want to annihilate caste, but caste persists in society. Those who are hungry should get the first seat at the ‘Pandhi’ (serving) and that is why we need data about them. We demand caste census, not to protect castes, but for the sake of social justice. We want a bridge...but if the bridge is broken, we need to create an alternate path until the bridge is repaired,” he said.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri said the demand for socio-economic caste census will not result in reiteration of supremacy of caste and its formalisation. “We are not saying it because we believe in caste supremacy. We are all born in a certain caste and it is our responsibility to lift them out of the social and educational backwardness and poverty. There is only a small different between what caste-based organisations and what we want. It is not our intention to elevate a particular caste but that there should not be any caste.”
‘Disintegration of India’
MDMK general secretary Vaiko warned that the proposed delimitation exercise, which could result in reduction of member of parliaments from the non-Hindi seats, will result in the disintegration of India. “It is said Tamil Nadu will lose (After delimitation) 8 MP seats and Bihar, UP and Madhya Pradesh will get many seats and come to a conclusion that ‘they are India’. As far as this is concerned, I am happy. I spoke about this in the parliament that India will disintegrate into pieces like the Soviet Union. Punjab, Bengal, Kashmir, Cow Belt and Dravidian nation...the dream of Perarignar Anna...will become a reality. The Prime Minister is clever and has many tricks up his sleeve. That is why he wants to bring Presidential form of Government and become the President. This is why he wants to hold Central and State elections together. He can become the President but only for a small part of India.This will happen: If they do delimitation (based on population) and reduce the representation of States, India will break into the pieces. That will be the day when my dreams come true.”
CPI State Secretary R. Mutharasan said caste census should done in India to provide representation to various castes according to their population. “In TN we have 69% reservations. Other states have a cap of 50%. BJP talks about one elections, one culture.... but will they accept one caste? They won’t accept it. Because they want castes to persist,” he said.
Mr. Mutharasan said Mr. Modi’s government in the last nine years had not created a single public sector institution. “Pandit Nehru called Public Sector Institutions as temples of democracy, but PM Modi has been selling the public sector institutions,” he said.
CPI (Marxist) State Secretary, K. Balakrishnan said the BJP doesn’t want to do a socio-economic caste census as that would reveal the true population of the OBCs in India. “If OBCs amount for 80% of the population in India, then the demand for reservations proportional to their population will come to the fore, which would mean that the normal person in the society will achieve a good status in life. That is what has happened in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Tamilaga Valvurimai Katchi leader T. Velmurugan, Manithaneyan Makkal Katchi president Prof M.H. Jawahirullah, DMK spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan, IUML leader K.M. Kader Mohideen participated in the event.
