Daily Briefing: The (caste) numbers game
Big Story
The last caste-wise data for India was taken in 1941, during the Second World War, but it was never published. Post-Independence, successive governments stuck to enumerating only Scheduled Castes and Tribes, leaving a yawning data gap. This led to a decades-long demand for caste enumeration in the national census. The reasoning was simple: the numbers are needed for welfare activities. Shyamlal Yadav traces the history in this explainer.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remained cagey on the subject for long. It has routinely dismissed state-led caste surveys, most notably in Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka—all under Opposition governments—as divisive stunts. But now, in a striking volte-face, the BJP seems ready to champion the cause it once derided.
Why now? As my senior colleagues Vikas Pathak and Liz Mathew report, the timing is no accident. Post-Pahalgam attack, the government, enjoying public and the Opposition's support, is on its surest footing yet. The move also steals the thunder of the Opposition, mainly the Congress, which has long made it the mainstay of their demands, just in time for the Bihar elections.
Questions: Hailing the move as a victory of their vision, the Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP, Rahul Gandhi, says it shows that they can pressure the government. His agenda now would be pushing the government to remove the 50 per cent quota cap. Gandhi said that while he welcomed the move, he also had a pertinent question: When will this exercise begin, given that the 2021 Census has already been delayed?
Pahalgam aftermath
📌 Tensions have been flying high between India and Pakistan ever since the April 21 Pahalgam attack. The United States called upon the neighbours to 'de-escalate' the situation. Speaking to State Secretary Marco Rubio, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted that the perpetrators must be brought to justice.
📌 In a routine weekly call between the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan, the former strongly objected to multiple ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC.
📌 India has also closed its airspace to Pakistani aircraft, days after Islamabad made a similar move against Indian airlines. However, this may not amount to much, as Pakistan has a limited international footprint, unlike India's booming aviation sector.
🎧 You can also tune in to today's episode of the '3 Things' podcast for the latest updates on the hunt for the terrorists.
Must Read
Express Adda: 'I can stand up to my govt… I am in the alliance, but I am not with the BJP.' In the run-up to the Bihar elections, Chirag Paswan, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries and one of the youngest political leaders in Bihar, joined us for the latest edition of Express Adda. He discusses identity politics, alliance governments and why caste still matters in the state.
Game of chicken: The halt in trade between the world's largest economies, China and the US, in the face of steep tariffs on both sides, is untenable in the long run. The trade war must end, but who will blink first? Amid inflation concerns and empty retail shelves, Washington seems to be the ripe candidate.
And Finally…
Eleven Bihar revenue officials have been camping in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur for months. They have an unusual task: to identify, measure, and meticulously record details of tracts of land in UP that belong to the Bettiah Raj, a zamindari estate dating back to the 17th century. The land, spread across the Champaran region, was once owned by Harendra Kishore Singh, the last king of Bettiah Raj, who died heirless in 1893. In this fascinating, long read, we trace how the land exchanged hands and finally ended up with the Bihar government.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
23 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Pawan Kalyan reaches Madurai to attend Murugan Devotees' conference as chief guest
Deputy Chief Minister and JSP chief K. Pawan Kalyan arrived in Madurai on Sunday (June 22) to participate in the Muruga Bhaktargal Maanaadu (Conference of Murugan Devotees), marking a significant cultural and political moment in the southern region. Mr. Pawan Kalyan received a grand welcome at the Madurai airport from senior BJP Tamil Nadu leaders, including State president Nainar Nagendran, party observer Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy and other prominent functionaries. His visit underscores growing collaboration between BJP and JSP, especially as both parties work to strengthen their base across southern India. Mr. Pawan Kalyan will offer prayers at the historic Tirupparankundram Subramanya Swamy Temple, one of the six sacred abodes (Arupadai Veedu) of Lord Murugan. Following the darshan, he will take part in the Murugan devotees' conference as the chief guest, addressing spiritual leaders, devotees and attendees from across Tamil Nadu and beyond. Among those who welcomed Pawan Kalyan were BJP State vice-president Chakravarthy, State leader Amar Prasad Reddy, BJP Madurai district president Mari Chakravarthy, State general secretary Ram Srinivasan and veteran leader Radhakrishnan, according to a press release. The event holds political significance, with Mr. Pawan Kalyan's participation seen as a gesture of cultural outreach and solidarity with Tamil spiritual traditions. Political analysts view the visit as part of a broader strategy to enhance the BJP-JSP alliance's presence in Tamil Nadu, where cultural reverence and political messaging often go hand in hand.
The Hindu
23 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Congress govt. shielding KCR family on KLIP row: Bandi Sanjay Kumar
Alleging massive corruption in Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) under the previous BRS government led by KCR, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar hit back at the ruling Congress dispensation accusing it of being a shield for KCR family. 'Some people are spreading false propaganda that the BJP has changed its stance on Kaleshwaram and colluded with BRS. Our party's stand on the Kaleshwaram project is very clear, and our demand is for a CBI inquiry into the Kaleshwaram project,' Mr. Sanjay told the media in Karimnagar on Sunday. 'Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself said that the Kaleshwaram Project became an ATM for KCR's family. That is BJP's stand too. If any party leader speaks against the BJP's stand, it's wrong. The high command will deal with them,' he said in reply to a query. Has Congress leader Rahul Gandhi forgotten his earlier demand for a CBI probe into the Kaleshwaram fiasco during the last Assembly elections? he asked. 'We don't trust the Congress government's current investigation into Kaleshwaram project. Our main demand remains a CBI inquiry,' he added. Citing the copies of the Central Water Commission (CWC) report, he said the CWC reported that Tummidihatti has water availability of 165 tmc ft based on the scientific assessment of the data from the past 33 years (1986 to 2013). 'But those at the highest echelons of power in the previous BRS government altered the design and looted public money by inflating the ₹38,000 crore project to ₹1.2 lakh crore,' he charged. 'The project failed to bring any tangible results.' If BRS claims that the Kaleshwaram project was built with Cabinet approval and sub-committee recommendations, why aren't they making those documents public? Mr. Sanjay asked. Taking a dig at KCR, he said that Mr. Rao, who called himself a top engineer, alone made all decisions including on Kaleshwaram during his tenure as Chief Minister. Stating that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) is a statutory body, the Union Minister said the BJP's view is that any future action on the Kaleshwaram project must be guided by the expert committee report.
Hindustan Times
31 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Bengal child rights commission sends notice to BJP's Amit Malviya
Kolkata: The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights has served a show cause letter to Amit Malviya, head of the national information technology cell of the Bharatiya Janata Party, for posting a photograph of a minor girl after her unnatural death in Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on June 16, a commission official said. BJP leader Amit Malviya. (File Photo) Targeting chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Malviya alleged in a social media post on June 19 that the girl was gangraped and murdered. He attached a photo in which the minor's face was digitally blurred. 'The commission took suo motu cognizance of Malviya's post because the minor could be easily identified despite an effort to digitally blur her face. This is a violation of the Juvenile Justice Act,' a commission official said requesting anonymity. Malviya, a BJP national executive member and co-incharge of the party's West Bengal unit, also alleged in his post that the incident had a communal angle. He wrote: '...Mamata Banerjee's governance has been an unmitigated disaster for women's safety. Worse still, the administration is suppressing the incident, citing 'communal sensitivity' — because the victim is Hindu and the accused are Muslim. This is not secularism. This is state-sponsored injustice...' The West Bengal police issued a rebuttal on X on June 20, calling Malviya's allegation a lie and stating that post mortem examination had revealed that the minor died after consuming poison and there was no evidence of sexual assault whatsoever. 'Lies Again! Efforts are being made from certain quarters to spread misinformation about the death of a minor girl four days back. Facts are, an unnatural death of a minor girl happened. The body was recovered from her house in observance of all formalities. Inquest and post mortem, under proper videography, was done to ascertain the cause of death. Based on the complaint by the mother of the deceased, FIR in Jibantala PS was also registered,' the state police said. 'The post mortem report reveals that there was no sexual assault whatsoever and the death was caused by consumption of unknown poison. Investigation is in progress. A criminal case is being started against the person who shared the photograph of the deceased minor girl on social media in violation of the Hon'ble Apex Court guidelines and also attempted to fuel communal disharmony,' the post added. Malviya did not comment on his post and the commission's show cause letter till Sunday afternoon. Bengal BJP unit's chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said: 'Answers to all questions raised will be given in due time.'
