RSS cautions against using caste census as political tool
New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has expressed caution over the caste census survey, urging that it should not be used as a political tool. While the organisation has not issued an official response to the Union government’s recent decision to conduct caste-based enumeration alongside the upcoming decadal census, sources indicate that the Sangh remains watchful of its implications.
The RSS, which has historically opposed caste-based segregation, supports the idea of sub-categorisation within Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the introduction of a creamy layer—but insists this must be done through consultation and consensus with stakeholders.
This development comes shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat at the Prime Minister’s official residence, a meeting that has drawn attention amid the government’s announcement.
The Sangh has long championed the cause of Samajik Samarasta (social harmony), a campaign aimed at unifying Hindu society across caste lines. It has maintained that caste enumeration should not become a vehicle for political gain. In September last year, RSS chief spokesperson Sunil Ambekar, speaking in Palakkad, Kerala, emphasised that caste-related issues must be approached with sensitivity due to their impact on national unity and integrity.
“Such issues should not be handled based on elections or electoral politics,” Ambekar had said. He added that while collecting caste data for welfare purposes is an accepted practice, it must strictly serve the interests of underprivileged communities, and not be exploited for political advantage.
According to the RSS, it has no objection to caste data collection if it is used for public welfare rather than for fostering political divisions. Observers suggest that this nuanced endorsement has provided the Modi government the ideological clearance to proceed without alienating its traditional support base.
With ground-level implementation already visible in states like Bihar and ideological alignment at the national level, the caste census is poised to significantly influence India’s social policy and electoral strategies. For a nation still striving for equitable representation and social justice, the exercise could supply much-needed empirical data to guide policy decisions.
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One killed, three injured as Mercedes rams into motorcycle, falls off bridge in Pune
Pune (PTI): One person was killed, and three others sustained injuries after a Mercedes rammed into a motorcycle and fell off a bridge in Pune in the early hours of Saturday, police said.
The accident occurred on Wadgaon bridge in the Sinhgad Road area around 4:30 am, an official said.
He said the motorcyclist, Kunal Hushar, a resident of Pimpri Chinchwad, died in the incident, and the pillion rider sustained injuries.
"A Mercedes rammed into a motorcycle and fell off the bridge onto the service road below. The motorcyclist, who was critically injured, died after being taken to a hospital," said Sambhaji Kadam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 3).
The occupants of the car also sustained injuries, he said.
The official said two persons have been detained, and a case has been registered for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
The driver will undergo a medical examination to ascertain if he was drunk at the time of the accident, he said.
