Timing of the caste census
There is much speculation as to the timing of the Modi Government’s decision to go ahead and implement the caste census. This has been for long the demand of the opposition, specially Rahul Gandhi. But the BJP has been avoiding a commitment on this, stating that this could be a move to create a division amongst the Hindus. In the war between Hindutva and Mandal the BJP has always been on the side of the former while of course reaching out to the OBCs, Dalits and backwards through other means. Then what changed ? The most obvious answer could be the coming Bihar elections for caste playing a prominent role in the hindi heartland. The BJP’s ally JD(U) has for long been uncomfortable with the ruling party’s stand on the caste census. The other could be that this is a distraction from the talk of war that has followed the Pahalgam terror attack. But, that would be to assume that the Modi Government takes such an important decision merely as a distraction. There is definitely more to this turnaround than meets the eye. The Bihar polls are only half the answer. The rest of the strategy will unfold in its own time.
The Credit Game
The Congress however is upbeat at the announcement of the Caste Census for this has long been the demand of Rahul Gandhi. Congress leaders point out that just as Rahul lead the agitation against amendments to the Land Acquisition act and formed the Modi Government to roll back its decision during its first term, a similar victory has been achieved in this case. There have been other rollbacks too, the most high profile being the amendments to the Farmers’ Laws. The catch really is who is better at getting its narrative across to the beneficiaries and emerge as their champions. In the end, its as much about vote banks as it is about social reforms and unfortunately in realpolitik the message matters more than the intent.
The CHIEF MINISTER AND THE SPY
Former R&AW Chief AS Dulat has come out with his fifth book The Chief Minister and the Spy, the story of an unlikely friendship between him and Dr Farooq Abdullah, former chief minister of J&K. The book is written in an accessible style and should be read just for the sheer pleasure of a good read if not for the insights it shares both about Kashmir and the Abdullahs. One can also say that it’s fairly biased for the author pays high tribute to his friend and indeed Dr Abdullah was to have graced the launch but for an unfortunate paragraph that has cost the writer dear. The para in question relates to a meeting that Dulat had with Dr Abdullah post the abrogation of Article 370 and has been misinterpreted as Farooq expressing support for the abrogation. To be fair to Dulat, nowhere else in the book has Dulat indicated anything to support this conjecture. As he told NewsX, “when I met him (Farooq) in February 2020 he was a broken man. He said we are Indians, my father was an Indian, I am an Indian, so are my children… not only had he been locked up but his family also… he couldn’t believe that after standing up for India, he had to be locked up…he is the ultimate nationalist in Kashmir.”
For his part, Dulat says he stands by what he wrote, but that his words have been twisted by vested interests. He said at his book launch, “I never name names” so he didn’t reveal whom he suspects, but one can follow the trail on social media to see who played up the controversy and also, as to who gains by portraying Dr Abdullah in that light. Having said that, he is clearly hoping his friendship stands the test of this controversy.