Jats were included in the Central list of OBCs in ome staes after massive protests. (File image)
Social engineering is likely to be a focus area ahead of next year's general elections as a commission meant to look into the sub-categories of Other Backward Classes submitted its report to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, on Monday. The report comes amid concerted demands for a caste census from the opposition parties, which are targeting the Backward and Scheduled Caste votes to checkmate the BJP, seen as backing the so-called "upper castes" in the Hindi belt.
The commission headed by retired judge G Rohini, formed in October 2017, has had 14 extensions so far. It was initially given 12 weeks to sub-categorise the nearly 3,000 castes within the OBC umbrella.
It was also asked to recommend division of the 27% OBC quota among them equitably. The recommendations of the Commission are yet to be known.
The report is expected to be politically crucial as the fight over the Other Backward Classes vote -- over 40 per cent of the electorate -- is expected to be hard for both BJP and the Opposition parties.
The recommendations of the Rohini Commission will be critical for the Centre, if it decides to redefine the reservation structure for backward classes.
Since the Mandal movement in 1989, OBC politics has had a major impact on the country's political landscape. Thirty years later, it spiralled with the Jats demanding a chunk of quota and the Patidar community demanding to be included in the OBC list for a share of reservation in jobs and education.
While Jats were included in the Central list of OBCs in states like Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the government has so far turned down the demand of the Patels.
But the BJP has been reaching out to the OBC bloc with its welfare schemes and representation, especially after Opposition parties like Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Samajwadi Party started pushing for a caste census, forwarding the social justice agenda.
Even the Opposition Congress has backed the demand for a caste census. In April, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying a scientific break-up of caste-wise data will help governments implement welfare and social security schemes better.
The demand for caste census spiked after the government implemented reservation for the Economically Weaker Classes -- which effectively granted reservation to the so-called "upper caste" groups.
But the demand for a caste census – started first in the 1990s -- has been brushed off by governments since it can upset the existing power dynamics.