Census and caste
The Narendra Modi government’s surprise decision to have a caste-based census in the middle of heightened tensions with Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack, and after fiercely opposing such a demand from the Opposition, only highlights the significance of caste dynamics in the electoral framework of Indian democracy. A caste census is important as it provides data essential for addressing social inequalities, ensuring equitable resource allocation and monitoring the effectiveness of affirmative action policies. One cannot wish away the reality that caste-based discrimination still exists in many regions of India despite laws making such discrimination punishable. That the decision has been announced with an eye on the Assembly elections in caste-dominated Bihar is to state the obvious. It is amusing that the BJP’s top leadership has hailed the Prime Minister’s decision as “historic”.
The truth is that it was he who had repeatedly attacked the Opposition for their demand, accusing them of “spreading poison in society” in the name of caste and even calling them “urban Naxals”.
S.K. Choudhury,
Bengaluru
Canada-U.S. ties
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s diplomatic and data-driven focus on long-term systemic reforms is a style that will meet the Trump’s dispensation’s combative, transactional, and short-term political driven moves. Mr. Carney could pursue parallel alliances with the European Union and Asia to hedge against U.S. unpredictability, even as Mr. Trump focuses on extracting short-term economic gains. Mr. Carney has to rely on nimble diplomacy.
R. Narayanan,
Navi Mumbai
Published – May 02, 2025 12:24 am IST