NEW DELHI: The desire to negate efforts to retard broader Hindu consolidation appears to have played a major role in the decision of the cabinet committee on political affairs (CCPA) to include caste enumeration in the next census. While political watchers are linking the move to assembly elections in Bihar, sources pointed out that the political field had been levelled in the state with the caste survey already completed.
Besides, the move was closely associated with chief minister Nitish Kumar, BJP’s alliance partner, leaving little space for RJD’s Tejaswi Yadav to claim bragging rights. A major consideration appears to have been to check attempts to split Hindus on caste lines,…