Government to decide on demand for caste based census: Prime minister

Amid demands for a caste based census, prime minister Manmohan Singh assured the Lok Sabha today that government would take a decision shortly in the matter."I am aware of the views of the members of Parliament belonging to all sections. I assure you that the cabinet will take a decision shortly," Singh said in a brief statement. 

The prime minister's statement mollified agitated opposition members who had forced adjournment of the House earlier after home minister P Chidambarm virtually ruled out inclusion of caste in the exercise.The debate on the issue had seen members cutting acrossparty lines favouring caste based census.Replying to the debate, Chidambaram insisted that the mainaim of the exercise was headcount and listed difficulties inincluding caste in the list.

However, he sought to assure members that their views onthe issue would be a "valuable guide" to the government, whichwas seized of the matter.After the earlier adjournment, four prominent OBC leaders,including Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad met financeminister Pranab Mukherjee in a bid to persuade the governmentto go in for a caste based census.    BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde and JD-Uchief Sharad Yadav were also present at the meeting, so alsoParliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal and Chidambaram.    The issue of caste based census had also figured in themeeting of the Union Cabinet earlier this week with ministersputting forth pros and cons of the issue.    In his reply, Chidambaram said that the registrar generalhas pointed out a number of logistic and practical difficulties in canvassing the question of caste while conducting the census."The enumerator is not an investigator or verifier," Chidambaram said, adding that 21 lakh enumerators - mostly primary school teachers - had no training or expertise to classify the answer as OBC or otherwise."There is a central list of OBCs and state-specific lists of OBCs. Some states do not have a list of OBCs while some states have a list of OBCs and a sub-set called MBCs," he said. Quoting the Registrar General, the home minister said issues regarding methodology, avoiding phonetic and spelling errors, stage of canvassing of caste, maintaining integrity of enumeration and doing an accurate headcount of population will arise.He maintained that as per the wish of the members the enumerator should record whatever answer the respondent givesto the question "What is your caste?""At this point, it is simply collection of information....Government will certainly keep in mind the views of honourable members," he said.However, this failed to satisfy several members. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, RJD leader Lalu Prasad, BSP leader Dara Singh Chauhan, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav and several BJP members expressed resentment.Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee walked up to Chidambaram and asked him to be more specific. ThoughChidambaram made an effort, the agitating members were notsatisfied and forced an adjournment of the House.