RSS supports caste census for welfarism, opposes its use as political tool

“The RSS feels that, for all welfare activities, particularly those for communities or castes which are lagging and who need special attention... if the government needs the numbers, it is a well-established practice. Earlier, such data was collected...But it should be done only for the welfare of those communities and castes. It should not be used as a political tool for elections,” said Sunil Ambekar, the chief spokesperson of the RSS, while addressing media at the end of the RSS’s crucial Akhil Bharatiya Samnvaya Baithak or all India coordination meeting in Kerala’s Palakkad.

Ambekar’s views are significant because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which sees the RSS as its ideological parent, has never publicly articulated its support for the issue, which the Opposition INDIA bloc of parties, led by the Congress, sees as a way to counter the national political hegemon. Some analysts are of the view that this played its part in reducing the BJP’s numbers in the summer’s national elections.

On Monday, Ambekar also underlined that issues such as sub categorisation and introduction of a creamy layer within quotas for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as suggested by the Supreme Court recently should be carried out after consultation and consensus building with the stakeholders.