Gender Inequality Pervades All Castes, Be It Brahmin, Dalit, or Adivasi, Says Kancha Ilaiah

Coimbatore- Academic and social justice advocate Kancha Ilaiah stated on Tuesday that gender inequality within castes is a more serious issue than inequality between castes. He emphasized that this disparity is shockingly prevalent across all communities, be it Brahmins, Dalits, or Adivasis.

Ilaiah, who served as the vice-chairman of the independent expert committee for the caste census in Telangana, was speaking at the India Today Conclave South in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

He clarified that the Telangana caste census was not merely a headcount of castes. "It was a social, economic, educational, and political caste survey," Ilaiah explained. The Telangana model specifically examined the status of women alongside these parameters.

"We have looked at the comprehensive situation of women. Whether they are Brahmin, Dalit, or Adivasi, gender inequality in every caste-community is far more shocking than caste-based inequality," Ilaiah asserted.

In his report submitted to the government, Ilaiah highlighted that development in India is less determined by land ownership and more by education, mobility, and employment. He argued that "individual welfarism" will not work in India, describing it as a "caste-cultural welfarism."

"Land is not the basis of development for all 242 castes. The basis of development is education, mobility, and employment in the private and public sectors," he said, stressing the critical importance of English-medium education for Adivasis, OBCs, Dalits, and upper castes.

The conclave panel, which included former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, BJP's former MP Rakesh Sinha, Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao, and Congress's SC-ST, OBC and Minority Development cell national coordinator K Raju, also debated whether a caste census can foster a sense of equality in society.

Anbumani Ramadoss argued that it is essential for ensuring social justice. "The data on castes that the Indian government currently relies on is 90 years old. Without data, there can be no social justice," he said.

Citing the Rohini Commission report (2017), Ramadoss revealed stark inequalities within the OBC category. He stated that just 656 communities corner 97.5% of all job opportunities reserved for OBCs, while 1,977 communities compete for only 2.5% of opportunities. A further 983 OBC communities have neither jobs nor access to education, he added.

Ramadoss also referenced the recent Bihar caste survey, which found that 67 lakh families have no house and 94 lakh families have a monthly income of less than Rs 6,000.

He insisted that the caste census should not be viewed solely through the lens of reservation. "It is about formulating welfare schemes and addressing economic backwardness. Reservation is just one part of positive action in this direction," Ramadoss said.

Echoing the sentiment, Congress's K Raju described the caste census as necessary to achieve the constitutional goal of equality. He stated that policies made without accurate caste data cannot eradicate societal inequality and that such data would be instrumental for the government in policy-making.