Published in Proletarian Era the central organ of Socialist Unity Centre of India (S ----- Original Message ----- From: dnr To: mukto-mona ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2004 11:41 PM Subject: Census
Published in Proletarian Era the central organ of Socialist Unity Centre of India (S.U.C.I.) on 15th. Oct. issue Communal exploitation of census data Collecting and publishing the census data in any country is a normal practice. This gives a lot of insight into the composition of the population, co-relation of the forces, various demographic classifications, the degree of unevenness in development of various strata of the people, poverty level, penetration of literacy, mortality rate, male-female ratio and so on. This is therefore a detailed exposition of the society comprising people of different religion, language, caste or ethnicity. So these figures from both government and non-government sources are required by all particularly to get an objective picture of how and to what extent the unevenness is existing and also the various social differences and discriminations on different counts are impacting the various communities of people. Even a bourgeois government cannot ignore these sociological data and are forced, from the point of view of governance, to make use of these revelations supposedly for adopting appropriate measure for welfare and development of the people irrespective of their social disposition. Any civilized government is expected to be spurred following census findings to remove aberrations, weaknesses and shortcomings. Similarly those who are committed to uphold people's cause are aware of the fact that it is the capitalist system which breeds all inequality, unevenness, disproportionate distribution of wealth; they also need these census data for objective assessment of the social fabric of the country, undertake various necessary sociological study and strengthen movement to ultimately overthrow the exploitative capitalist order through revolution. Growth rate of communities But release of Census India, 2001 in the first week of September 2004, by instalments was on a different note. The media caused a chilly flutter by highlighting that there has been an accelerated growth rate of Muslim population from 34.5% to 36 % between 1991 and 2001 while similar rate for the Hindus declined from 25.1% to 20.3 % during the same period. So glaring has been the highlight of this aspect of the findings that everything else got suppressed. Immediately the communal BJP and its ideological affiliates the RSS, began to play the charade that this poses danger to the Hindu identity of the country since Muslims would overtake the Hindus in future. Venkaiah Naidu, the BJP President expressed "grave concern over the Muslim population growth as reflected in the report of religion" on 8 Sept. 2004 in a reaction to the press. The same day Ram Madhan, the RSS spokesperson quipped "our views on demographic changes about which we had been warning, stands vindicated. " Clearly theirs has been an attempt to exacerbate communal tension and inflame the already tenuous socio-political atmosphere. The findings - many suspected - had been manipulated to suit the BJP's Hindu fundamentalist plank. Some inconsistencies were apparent and it was also a fact that the exercise began when the BJP-led NDA government was in power. It is also known to all how inflation numbers, price indices and such other vital statistics are massaged in capitalist India to present a distorted picture of reality and keep the skeletons under wrapper. One also had a glimpse of the BJP's "India shining" campaign varnished with statistical gloss. And almost in articulation of this apprehension, J. K. Banthia, Census Commissioner and Registrar General of India, declared within three days from the date of publication of census details that some "clerical error" had crept into the figures which need some "adjustments". It was revealed that there was no enumeration in Assam in 1981 and Jammu and Kashmir in 1991. Hence comparisons were made between incomparables. When the figures were thus suitably "adjusted", it was found that the Muslim population growth rate in fact steadily decelerated since 1971 and this deceleration rate is more than that of the Hindus. Figures showed that more Hindus were added to the population than Muslims - 4.8 Hindus for one Muslim to be exact. Moreover Jains, Sarnas and Lingayats, who were granted independent recognition in the latest counting were earlier classified as Hindus. This also distorted Hindu population figures. Once these "clarifications" and "adjustments" were provided, the BJP leadership toned down their rhetorics a bit and instead accused the present Congress-led UPA of being politically motivated to revise the figures. The Congress-led UPA government, on the other hand, announced its intention to conduct an enquiry into the confusion over the Muslim growth rate. It also removed Banthia, installed by the former BJP-led government in the post of Census Commissioner, from the office. An impression was also sought to be created as if such religion-based data should not have been released and the BJP was accused of trying to cook up such projections to strengthen its communal agenda. Should religion-based data be banned If Banthia has wilfully committed misdemeanour which cannot be ruled out in the context of extensive communalization of the bureaucracy during the past several years, he should be adequately dealt with. There is no dispute over it. But is it not that in the process, certain pertinent issues, even some of the relevant findings, glaring revelations are getting buried ? Is it for the first time that such religion-based growth rates on population figures are published? Are not such statistics declared in the census of other countries? If such publications are prescribed, will not some vital informations be held back seriously impeding not only sociological research and study, cultivation of knowledge, but misdirecting the course of action needed to improve the situation? Withdrawing publication of such statistics would obscure the fact that during 57 years of post-independence the toiling Muslim population has been subjected to severe exploitation, discrimination and deprivation following the machination of the Indian bourgeois rulers. It was the British imperialists who in order to "divide and rule", conspired to create an artificial schism between the Hindu and the Muslim masses over religion. And because the imperative task of democratization of the society was neglected during the anti-British freedom struggle, the divide could not be eradicated through appropriate socio-cultural movement. The Indian bourgeoisie who usurped the political power following independence from British rule, fully exploited this divide, nurtured and fomented it with all care, as a means to perpetually disrupt the unity of the toiling Indians against the oppressive capitalist regime. The Muslims, as minorities have always been looked down upon and their security constantly threatened. While every Indian, irrespective of religion or caste, is groaning under the yoke of capitalism, the downtrodden Muslim community has been worst victim following continuous injection of a fear-complex and sense of insecurity by the power that be to buttress its class interest. Several times, the Congress who as one of the most trusted representatives of the ruling capitalist class ruled the country uninterruptedly for the first 30 years after independence, engineered communal riots that further frightened and devastated the minorities. After the Congress, the Hindu fundamentalist BJP continued this with yet more ferocity and the gruesome pogrom of Gujarat showed how vulnerable the Muslims are in their own motherland. Discriminatory treatment of most of the minorities is practised in the various capitalist imperialist countries. Everywhere, majority fundamentalism, racial hatred, colour domination are raising their ugly heads as part of the bourgeois conspiracy to wedge a permanent divide among the people so that the forces of reaction could have a fertile ground to ignite communal or racial passion at the spur of the moment. Would such facts come to light if shutters are put on the sociological studies and data publication exercises? Myth and reality Let us once again turn to Census India, 2001 to discern certain important findings buried under the din. The level of education for every 1000 persons in every age group is lower for the Muslims. 59% of the Muslim women have not attended school, 60% are married by the age of 17 and hardly 14 % have registered work participation. Infant mortality rate is higher for the Muslims. Contrary to the propaganda of the Hindu fundamentalists and the vested interest, percentage of polygamous marriages is lower among the Muslims. One more myth that the votaries of arch communalism seek to create is that religion has a major influence on fertility behaviour. Taking a cue from that, the preachers of rabid Hindutva argue that Islam prompts increased fertility. But sociologists find no evidence of that. "It is virtually impossible to assess the part played by the content of religion in fertility" - writes R.H. Cassen, a renowned social scientist. According to R.K. Chowdhury, another noted sociologist, working on Indian condition: "The observed differences in fertility are mostly due to socio-economic differences between Muslims and other religions. Once these differences are accounted for, the fertility differentials between Muslims and other religious groups will disappear." This conforms to the firm conclusion of the Marxists that all aberrations and anomalies arise from the socio-economic system. Facts do corroborate these. Kerala, which has one of the highest literacy levels including among women, has the lowest fertility rates among all communities including Muslims. With the increased incidence of female foeticide, mostly among the Hindus, languishing under age-old obsolete creeds and superstition, the female populace compared to male is on the wane. That minority status with a sense of insecurity leads to a higher fertility level is also evident from census data. The fertility level of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir where the Muslims are majority, is almost thrice that of Muslims. So it is the appalling socio-economic condition, lack of education, social discrimination, sense of insecurity and such other factors that work to significantly influence fertility rate. Once these aberrations and discriminations are removed, gap of unevenness shortened, not just literacy but education spreads, there will be changes in all communities. Muslim populace will also be changed in the same course. Banish communalism, not census data So it is evident that all such sociological data have a lot of utility value. What is important is to ensure that none can twist these figures to ignite communal passion to butress ulterior motive. We must understand that it is the vile anti-people politics of the rabid communalists which is polluting the climate by systematically exploiting the artificially created divide between the communities on religious ground. Instead of taking up cudgels against these arch communalists and inflicting crushing defeat on them, both ideologically and organizationally, a demand for banning publications of such important findings regarding life condition of various religious communities will not only be tantamount to bailing out the real culprits but also hold back revelation of reality. Even if such publications are prescribed, the protagonists of fundamentalism-communalism will find some other pretext to bestir communal proclivities. Those who, out of their apprehension of misuse of the census data by the communal forces to incite violence, are in favour of excluding religion-based statistics from census data, must seriously ponder over this. Communalism-fundamentalism is thus not only snuffing out innocent lives in fratricidal feuds, riots and carnages but overtly or covertly posing danger to necessary cultivation of various scientific studies and sociological research. Danger inheres here. So long as the bourgeois class rule will be there, its servitors of different hues remain in power, there will be no respite for the toiling people no matter what religion they profess or what language they speak. The wretchedness would continue to have firmer grip on their lives. Communalists-fundamentalists will go on baring their fangs. Pointless controversies would get piled up, trivial issues played up to cloud the truth. People must come forward to unite on the platform of movement to dislodge capitalism. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/VL0olB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Peruuta ryhm�n tilaus l�hett�m�ll� s�hk�postia osoitteeseen: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! 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