Why the privileged fear being made visible by the caste census

The privileged fear being made visible by the caste census, according to recent developments. A report highlights the alleged "miscommunication" between the Registrar General of India and the Ministry of Social Justice, which maintains lists of Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes. The Modi government has postponed the census multiple times, and now the MoSJ is said to have offered to supply the RGI with the SC and OBC lists, contradicting the initial excuse that such lists were unavailable.

Those opposing the caste census are doing so for self-interest or caste- and class-interests, with some fearing a loss or reduction in their share of reservation benefits. Celebrities and powerful individuals also disdain the surveys, believing that being asked about their caste demeans them by implicating them in something connected to reservations.

Despite a 2015 Supreme Court ruling allowing the release of information on "willful defaulters" to public sector banks, both banks and the Reserve Bank of India have refused to provide details on loans written off. The caste census and NPAs have little in common, but a surveillance-oriented state seems reluctant to collect or release data in both cases, suggesting an aversion to making privilege publicly visible.