Prime Minister listens Demand For The Caste-Based Census, All Party Delegation From Bihar Says, Modi Will Take The Decision

 New Delhi: What will happen when Nitish Kumar led an all-party delegation from Bihar meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Monday to discuss the issue of the caste-based census? All eyes were on the outcome of this very important meeting. The meeting ended with a happy note that this demand is not denied and PM heard the views of leaders from Bihar. The delegation asked PM to take decision on this issue.

A delegation of 10 parties, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of the caste-based census, this morning. After the meeting,  Bihar CM, Nitish Kumar said, "The prime minister listened to all members of the delegation on caste census in the state. We urged the PM to take an appropriate decision on it. We briefed him on how resolutions have been passed twice in the state Assembly on caste census... People in Bihar and the entire country are of the same opinion on this issue."

Among those part of the delegation were RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, BJP leader and state minister Janak Ram, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) leader Mukesh Sahani.

Tejashwi Yadav, speaking jointly with Nitish Kumar after the meeting, said "the delegation held the meeting for not just a caste census in Bihar, but one for the entire country." Ahead of the meeting, Yadav had said such a census can help get data that can help in preparing relevant benefit schemes for people from different sections of the society. 

Though, the impression is that this meeting is for the benefit of the people of Bihar but according to Nitish Kumar,  “it would be not just for Bihar, people in the whole country will benefit from this.” Nitish is of the opinion that, “It should be done at least once. It is a crucial issue and we have been seeking this for a long. If it works out, then nothing could be better than that.”

Nitish has already said that decision on state-level caste census will be taken only after the Centre’s response. At the start of this month, a delegation of Janata Dal-United (JDU) met Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue of the caste-based census.

The last caste-based census was conducted and released in 1931. In 1941, the data was collected but not made public. In 2011, a socio-economic caste census was carried out but the data was again not made public on grounds of “discrepancies”.

Holding a caste-based census is a sensitive issue for the government in view of the assembly elections due in seven states next year.

On one side, Nitish Kumar and JDU are in talks with center leadership but on the contrary leader of Opposition in Bihar assembly and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA  Tejashwi Yadav had asked the Nitish government to conduct the exercise “on its own” if the Centre refuses to budge from its stand.”

Several political parties of the country have come together demanding a caste-based census. BJP allies, JDU, Apna Dal and the Republican Party of India-Athawale have raised the demand for holding a caste-based census. Even opposition parties, such as the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party are also demanding that the caste-based census should be held.

“It is the desire of the people that there must be a caste-based census. I hope there will be a positive discussion on this. If the caste census is not conducted by the Centre in the country, then it will be considered by the government in Bihar,”  Nitish Kumar had said in the past.

He reiterated that “there is a countrywide sentiment in favour of a caste census being conducted at least once. There should be no misgivings as such an exercise will be beneficial for all social groups.”

There is no doubt that the centre will have to give serious thought to this issue, otherwise, the state governments may initiate a caste-based census soon.