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Caste has no relevance these days: MG Vaidya - dnaindia.com
- Kiran Tare
- The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has approached spiritual leaders to appeal to their followers not to mention their caste in the second phase of the census. The organisation is also trying to launch a national forum to oppose the caste-based census. Senior RSS functionary MG Vaidya spoke to DNA
regarding the organisation’s stand and the politics behind the issue. - I fear that once such a census is approved there will be a demand to reserve constituencies on the basis of caste. It will divide society and the country.
- Though the caste-based census was stopped in 1931, the opposition to this practice had begun in 1911 itself. A British officer had mentioned in his report that the so-called lower caste was trying to register itself as upper caste. Till date we have no mechanism to verify caste. I fear now people from higher castes will try to register themselves as lower castes to get the benefit of reservation.
- I see confusion in two major political parties, Congress and BJP, over the issue. There is no way to understand what their stand is. A Congress MP Ajay Makan has openly told the party’s MPs to oppose the move. BJP’s deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde demanded the caste-based census, but did not get any party support. I sought clarification from the BJP on the issue, but did not get an answer. Manmohan Singh can ask a GoM to give an early report on the Bhopal gas tragedy. Is the caste issue not important for him?
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