In an apparent bid to expand its support base among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Haryana, the BJP government led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is set to make a recommendation to the Centre for replacing the term “Chamar” with “Meghwal” on caste certificates for those seeking this shift in the state.The announcement was made by CM Saini at an event of the Meghwal community at Bawal in Rewari Sunday. This has, however, drawn sharp criticism from a section of the Chamar community in Haryana. Chamars are listed in the SC category in the state.Attacking Saini, five-term Congress MLA and Dalit leader Geeta Bhukkal called his announcement an alleged attempt at “divide and rule”, saying that it has caused “resentment among the members of the community”.Addressing the Bawal event organised by the Meghwal Utthan Samiti, Haryana, Saini said: “As you have demanded, the members of the Chamar community want to adopt ‘Meghwal’ term, so that a person from the Scheduled Caste can use the term ‘Meghwal’ instead of ‘Chamar’. To facilitate issuance of such (Meghwal) caste certificates, I will make a recommendation to the central government.” This was one of the 10 demands made by the Samiti, which were accepted by the CM.Samiti secretary Bhupender Meghwal claimed that the state has already issued nearly 60,000 caste certificates mentioning “Meghwal” on them. “We want that other Chamar community members may also be allowed to get their caste name as ‘Meghwal’ on their certificates,” he said.Samiti president Ved Prakash Bawalia, a retired SDO in the electricity department, said that before the Saini government decided to sub-categorise the SC quota in October 2024, both Meghwals and Chamars were still part of the SC category. “Before the sub-categorisation, anyone from the Chamar community was able to write Chamar or Meghwal on their caste certificates as there was no difference in reservation benefits for both. However, after the sub-categorisation, Chamar and Meghwal have been put in different groups of SCs in Haryana,” he said.Bawalia said Meghwals are currently listed in the “Deprived Scheduled Castes” group, while Chamars are part of the “Other Scheduled Castes”. As the two groups now have different quotas for reservation benefits in government jobs in Haryana, one sub-caste cannot simply shift to another on the ground that both are SCs.Story continues below this adGeeta Bhukkal, who had also opposed the proposal for sub-categorisation of the SCs, targeted Saini for his proposal for replacing “Chamar” with “Meghwal” on the caste certificates. “The statement of the Chief Minister is wrong, and this is not acceptable to our community. They have already attempted to divide our community. Our caste is already SC under the Constitution. Why did he make the statement?” she asked.Former IAS officer Dhanpat Singh, who belongs to the SC community, said: “What difference does it really make? What will change by calling them (Chamars) Meghwals?”He said, “The word ‘Harijan’, which was given by Gandhiji, also had a good meaning, but what can we do about people’s mentality? Even ‘Harijan’ started sounding like an abuse, like ‘untouchable’. The word ‘Dalit’ is also now viewed in the same way. Until people’s mindset changes, nothing will change.”The SC members who identify themselves as Meghwals mostly live in parts of Haryana bordering Rajasthan, where the group is considered politically influential.Story continues below this adWhile Dalits account for 20% of Haryana’s population, Chamars are the single largest community among the SC groups.Sub-categorisation of SC groupsIn a landmark judgment on August 1, 2024, the Supreme Court Constitution Bench allowed states to sub-classify the SCs / Scheduled Tribes (STs) to ensure grant of quota to more backward castes in these groups.In its very first Cabinet meeting after returning to power in Haryana for the third consecutive time in October 2024, the BJP government took a decision to implement the apex court’s SC sub-categorisation verdict. After the Cabinet’s decision, CM Saini had said: “Our government has honoured the order of the Supreme Court.”Several Dalit groups, excluding those who work in the leather industry, have been seeking a quota within the overall 20% quota for SCs in Haryana, to help them better avail the benefits of reservation in government jobs.