News Analysis India

Tag: Caste based census

  • Caste-based census in Bihar soon as all-party meet gives nod to exercise

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Decks have been cleared for the caste-based census in Bihar following a meeting of all political parties on Wednesday. 

    Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the caste-based census would be conducted within a time frame.

    Talking to the media after the all-party meeting, Nitish said that a proposal to conduct the caste-based census in the state will be presented in the meeting of the state cabinet soon for its approval. “Everything related to the census will be done within a limited period,” he added.

    The census will cover all castes, sub-castes and religions. To make it foolproof, the government will ensure proper training of the personnel assigned the arduous task. “The government will ensure that nobody is left out of it,” Nitish pointed out.

    The meeting was attended by nine political parties — BJP, JDU, RJD, Congress, CPI-ML (Liberation), CPI, HAM and AIMIM and VIP. CM Nitish, his deputy Tarksihore Prasad, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Congress legislature party leader Ajeet Sharma and HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi were among others present at the meeting.

    Nitish said that the leaders of all political parties took a unanimous decision to conduct the caste-based census. The census will be done with the resources of the state government. The government will arrange funds for the purpose.

    To a query, Nitish said that the all-party meeting was delayed due to elections. “Earlier, we had demanded from the centre to conduct a caste-based census at the national level. Even a delegation had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue last year,” he asserted.

    Later, it was decided that the census will be conducted by the state government. “Everything related to the caste-based census will be put in the public domain so that people could get information about the census,” Nitish clarified. 

  • All-party meeting on caste-based census in Bihar rescheduled for June 1

    Express News Service

    PATNA: The all-party meeting on the caste-based census in Bihar has been rescheduled for June 1. Earlier, it was decided to convene a meeting on the issue on May 27. According to authoritative sources in the chief minister’s office, the meeting will be held at Samvad at 4 pm. The leaders of all political parties have been invited to the meeting to share their views on the issue.

    Deputy chief minister and BJP leader Tarkishore Prasad said that the BJP would participate in the all-party meet scheduled for June 1. “The BJP leadership will decide the name of the party’s representative for the meeting,” he added.

    The all-party meeting will be followed by cabinet approval on the proposal to hold a caste-based census in the state from its own resources. The demand for a caste-based census has been pending for a long time. Earlier, the proposal was passed by the state legislature twice.

    On Monday chief minister Nitish Kumar had said that a final decision on the date of the all-party meeting would be announced after consultation with leaders of political parties. However, most of the leaders had earlier agreed on May 27.

    Sources said the meeting has been rescheduled due to nominations for the Rajya Sabha, which started on Tuesday. The last date of nomination is May 31 and scrutiny of papers will be done on June 1. The leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav had met Nitish and held a closed-door meeting on the issue of a caste-based census in the state. 

  • JDU in Bihar likely to put major challenge on Caste Census to BJP in coming days

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Will Bihar’s ruling JD-U put a big political challenge to the BJP on the issue of caste-wise enumerations of OBCs in the national caste census in coming days?

    This is being speculated these days in political corridors of NDA within and outside Bihar after the PM’s recent announcement on the withdrawal of farm laws. If sources are to be believed, the JDU has silently and finally decided not to fall in line with the BJP on the issue of caste census without altering its determined stand.

    After a recent statement made by RJD chief Lalu Prasad that the country needs a nationwide agitation for the caste-based census, just like the farmers’ protest, JD-U is learnt to have finally decided to continue aggressively pursuing now the demand for the inclusion of OBCs in the Caste Census with a plan to make it a major national issue, if it is left unheeded by the government in centre.

    Sources said that the JDU is politically optimistic that other parties in opposition will render their unconditional support on the issue.

    Recently, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on being asked by the media announced that the leaders of all political parties, including the RJD, will soon sit together at an all-party meeting to decide the further course of action on the demand for the caste-based census in Bihar. He admitted that the option of conducting out a state-specific census exercise was open to the state.

    “We will go with a collective decision of all parties on this issue”, he said almost making his stand clear on the issue.

    Meanwhile, some reliable sources said that the JDU has decided in principle to go with the opposition on this, giving a major political challenge to BJP in national politics.

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi might have sidelined the opposition-led protest against the farm laws by announcing to repeal the laws but it would remain to be seen as how he tackles the next political challenge emerging on the Caste Census”, said a senior JD-U leader, preferring anonymity here.

    Earlier, Nitish Kumar had led an all-party delegation from Bihar that met PM Modi demanding the inclusion of OBCs for caste wise enumerations in the national caste census.

    “If the BJP-led government fails to change its stand on this national issue taking a lesson from farm laws protests, the JDU and two other allies of Bihar’s NDA may go apart from the stand of BJP on the issue. And if such happens, it would certainly be a major jolt to the BJP ahead of polls in five states including UP”, said some leaders of NDA from Patna, admitting further that opposition has a plan to raise the Caste census as a major issue in the upcoming state elections.

    In this year’s September, the BJP-led government in centre, had told the Supreme Court through an affidavit that the caste census of Backward Classes was not possible because of many technical and administrative causes.

    Sources also said that just as all the opposition parties maintained unity against the farm laws, in the same way, all opposition parties, including JD-U and NDA’s other allies, except BJP, are trying to remain in unity in support of

  • All-party delegation from Jharkhand meets Amit Shah, demand caste-based census in 2021

    By Express News Service

    RANCHI: An all-party delegation led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum requesting a caste-based census in the 2021 survey. The letter was addressed in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    “In the interest of the people, all of us, the members of the all-party delegation of Jharkhand, demand from the Honorable Prime Minister and the Honorable Home Minister to conduct a caste-based census during the proposed census survey in 2021,” the letter stated.

    “Due to the lack of caste data in the census surveys conducted since independence till date, people from backward classes are facing difficulties in getting special benefits bestowed upon them. In the proposed census in the year 2021, the Government of India has informed the parliament through a written record that the government will not conduct the caste census, which is very unfortunate.”

    The letter stated that it is unfair for the people from Backward and Extremely Backward Classes, for ages, that they are not able to make the expected progress. In the current scenario, if the caste census doesn’t get conducted now, then neither educational, nor social, nor political, or economic conditions of the backward/extremely backward castes will be properly assessed. This will hamper the formulation of the right policy for their betterment and upliftment, it added.

    It further stated that “In India, people belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes have faced the brunt of economic and social backwardness for centuries. After independence, different classes have developed at different paces. Due to this, the gap between rich and poor has increased further. Economic inequality in India has a very strong relationship with caste and generally, those who fall in the socially backward category are also economically backward. In such a situation, caste-based data is needed to remove these disparities. By conducting the caste-based census, there will be many benefits in the policy-making of the country.”

    The delegation led by the Chief Minister Hemant Soren included BJP State President Deepak Prakash, Congress Legislature Party Leader Alamgir Alam, Congress State President Rajesh Thakur, AJSU Party Central President Sudesh Kumar Mahato, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Satyanand Bhokta, Vinod Kumar Singh of CPI-ML, Kamlesh Kumar Singh of NCP, Bhuvneshwar Prasad Mehta of CPI, Aroop Chatterjee of Marxist Coordination Committee and Suresh Munda of CPI(M).

  • BJP leader Ananda Bhaskar Rapolu writes to PM Modi for caste-based census

    By ANI

    HYDERABAD: Demand for caste-based census started to rise within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the party’s former Rajya Sabha MP wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, urging him to conduct the census.

    BJP leader Ananda Bhaskar Rapolu said, “I seek your expeditious attention on making Indian society, much more transparent and create a pragmatic environment for welfare delivery by according Caste Based Census.”

    According to him, the Caste-based Census will help to have real-time correct data, which will be helpful for the public policy planners. He wrote, “You have gained permanence in achievements for the times to come, by several historic corrections for national integration and territorial inclusion. This will establish your commitments for inclusiveness – Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas, Sab ka Vishwas.”

    He also blamed the previous UPA government for the half-baked census. The former BJP MP said, “The failure of rulers of 2011 though initiated but half-baked, as they themselves admitted their erring, rubbed on the wrong side of OBCs and results are history.”

    Stating that to announce the Caste-based Census as his birthday gift to the Indian society, Rapolu said, “Your nod will create history and ensure correction and transparency.” 

  • Arun Jaitley had given written assurance for caste-based census, claims Lalu Prasad Yadav

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Reiterating the demand of caste-based census, Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday claimed that BJP leader Arun Jaitley had given a written assurance on the matter.

    “When I was MP, other leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav and Sharad Yadav along with me fought in Lok Sabha for a caste-based census. Arun Jaitley had given a written assurance earlier. We are very hopeful about it. It should be done to understand the population and economic status,” Yadav told ANI.

    On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with the delegation of 10 parties led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the national capital to discuss a caste-based census.

    Briefing media persons after the meeting, Nitish Kumar said, “The Prime Minister listened to all members of the delegation on caste census. We urged Prime Minister to take an appropriate decision on it. We briefed him on how resolutions have been passed twice in the state Assembly on caste census.”

    “Recently a minister from the central government gave a statement that the caste-based census will not be conducted. This made us anxious. Following this, all parties in Bihar including the Opposition met on the issue. It was then proposed to meet Prime Minister on the issue,” he added.

    The Bihar Chief Minister said it is Prime Minister who has to now take a call on the caste-based census.

    “People in Bihar and the entire country are of the same opinion on this issue. We are grateful to the PM for listening to us. Now, he has to take a decision on it,” Kumar told ANI.

    Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav who was also a part of the delegation said, “Our delegation met the Prime Minister today not only for caste census in Bihar but in the entire country. We are awaiting a decision on this now.”

    However, the central government has so far refused to accede to the demand.On July 20, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai had said: “The Government of India has decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise populations other than SCs and STs in the census.”

    On March 10, 2021, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had clarified on caste-related details received from the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. In a reply, the Union Home Ministry said that raw caste data has been provided to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) for the classification and categorisation of the data.

    “The Office of the Registrar General, India had provided logistics and technical support in conducting the SECC-2011. The raw caste data has been provided to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) for the classification and categorization of the data. As informed by MoSJE, there is no proposal to release the caste data at this stage,” the Home Ministry had said.

  • Samajwadi Party to initiate caste census if voted to power in UP Assembly polls

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party on Monday said it will initiate a caste-based census if voted to power in the next year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

    The statement by the party came hours after a delegation of 10 parties from Bihar headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in support of a caste-based census.

    National spokesperson of SP Ashutosh Verma on Monday told PTI that from the very beginning, the party has been backing a caste-based census.

    “Which scheme should be implemented and in which manner so that best results can be obtained, for this a caste-based census has to be done. Otherwise, implementing schemes will be more or less shooting in the dark, which has been happening till now,” he said, reiterating the demand for it.

    Stressing on taking development schemes to the last man in society, Verma said, “”If voted to power in UP, the SP will conduct a caste-based census at its own cost.”

    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has himself announced this.

    “The stand of the SP on the caste-based census is absolutely clear. And, we believe in ‘jiski jitni sankhya bhaari, utni uski hissedaari’ — (partnership in government should be proportional to the numbers of a community),” Verma said.

    He also said the ruling BJP is not giving encouraging indications for the caste-based census.

    Earlier in the day, a delegation of 10 parties headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday in support of the demand.

    Kumar asserted that statistics about different castes will help in formulating development schemes effectively as many of them have not benefited so far in line with their actual population.

    RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who was part of the delegation, said such a census was in national interest and will be a historic measure and help the poor and the most deprived sections of the society.

    If animals and trees can be counted, so can people, he said.

    Kumar was joined by representatives of all major parties, including the BJP and Congress, as they submitted their demand to Modi.

  • Nitish Kumar to lead Bihar delegation to discuss caste-based census with PM Modi 

    Express News Service

    PATNA: A delegation of 11 leaders from 10 parties, including the ruling BJP and opposition RJD, from Bihar, will meet PM Narendra Modi on Monday under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar over the issue of the nationwide caste-based census.

    “You, the media people, should know that not only Bihar but the people of all the states want that a caste-based census should be done at least once”, Nitish Kumar told the media, adding that he along with other members of the delegation will request the PM to consider their demand.

    Kumar said that the request would be made to the PM but the final decision will be left for the central government.

    Replying to a media query, Kumar said that if the caste census would be left to the states, then he along with all parties will decide on it.

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    Apart from Nitish Kumar, State Education Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav and BJP leader and minister Janak Ram would be part of the delegation.

    Congress MLA Ajit Sharma, Mehboob Alam from AIMIM, Akhtarul Imam from CPI, Jitan Ram Manjhi from Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), and Mukesh Sahni from VIP are other members of the delegation.

    Political analysts opine that if the responsibility to conduct the Caste census is left to the state government, it would be used as a political issue. It can also be used against the BJP to gain electoral dividends.

    The BJP, in its policy, is still against the conduct of the caste-based census.

  • BSP will support Centre if it takes concrete steps for holding OBC census: Mayawati

    Her remarks come close on the heels of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday seeking an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the tricky issue of caste-based census.

  • Options open on state-specific caste census if Centre doesn’t yield: Nitish Kumar

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said the demand for caste-based census was very much alive despite the Centre’s disinclination. He added he would keep the “option open” for a state-specific exercise on caste census if the Centre refuses to budge.“Our party has adopted a resolution supporting caste census in the country,” Kumar said, adding he plans to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge him to reconsider his position on the matter.

    Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav had on July 30 during his meeting with Kumar in the Assembly, suggested that the state government conduct caste census from its own resources if the Centre refuses to yield.“Caste census is in the interest of all. But if someone is saying that there will be tension in the society due to caste census, then, I think, this is wrong. It will be beneficial for most works of developments,” Kumar said.

    But what if the Centre refuses to budge? “We keep our option open,” Kumar said. “Nitish Kumar’s decisions on the caste census, the population policy and demand for probe into the Pegasus scandal are political messages against the BJP’s political dominance both in the state and the Centre. His meeting with Chautala as also the outreach to Tejashwi and others from the Opposition in Bihar on caste census are messages to the BJP ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” political experts opined.