On Monday, Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister and a promoter of the caste-based census, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to decide on the caste-based census.
Several political parties across multiple states have raised the demand for the caste enumeration of the country’s population.
He also dismissed all the arguments which said a caste-based census in which details of Other Backward Class (OBC) people will be taken besides those of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes might lead to social tension.
He said leaders of all political parties of Bihar recently met Prime Minister Modi over the issue.
All the parties were in favour of the caste-based census, and it would benefit the country.
The final decision is now pending at the Prime Minister.
There are political parties in other states that are now demanding a caste-based census in the country, which is scheduled to be held this year.
Ahead of the assembly elections in 2022, numerous political parties of Uttar Pradesh, including Congress, Samajwadi Party, Anupriya Patel’s Apna Dal, Sanjay Nishad’s Nishad Party, Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, and Babu Singh Kushwaha’s Jan Adhikar Party, have raised the demand for a caste-based enumeration.
Multiple political parties from Maharashtra and Odisha have also come in support of the caste-based census.
Now, it’s up to the Union Government’s prerogative to take a call on the issue.
In his speech on Monday, CM Nitish Kumar explained how the exact statistics about various castes in the country would assist the Centre.
The States formulate appropriate development schemes keeping in mind the actual caste population.
BJP Not Taking a Stand
The rival parties have been criticizing BJP for not taking a definite stand on the issue. According to the rival parties, the caste-based census would enable the Mandal Politics to take centre stage in Indian politics.
BJP extensively uses its twin mantra of Hindutva and welfare planks for making the inroads in the OBC vote bank at the cost of state-based parties.
The caste-based census would be an effective weapon for the regional parties to counter this strategy of the saffron party.
Rejecting all the fears of the census leading to social tension, Nitish Kumar said political members of all castes and religions supported the resolutions on the caste enumeration passed by the Bihar legislature.
He exclaimed that the caste-based census would be crucial and in the interest of the country.
