News Analysis India

Tag: Caste census

  • UP polls 2022: Akhilesh Yadav promises caste census within six months of assuming power

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday announced that he would get a caste census done within six months of SP government being formed if voted to power in 2022 polls.

    “Today with the available technology, it will not even take six months. It can be done within three months or even less,” he said at the conference, which was held at Samajwadi party headquarters in Lucknow.

    Addressing the workers of Mahan Dal ­– an ally of SP claiming to enjoy the support of OBCs like Shakyas, Mauryas and Kushwahas particularly in western Uttar Pradesh – Akhilesh accused the ruling BJP of having tried to divide the backward classes by pitting the Yadavs against the rest.

    ALSO READ | Now, BJP ally Apna Dal demands caste-based census, separate ministry for OBC welfare

    “They (ruling BJP) are not interested in conducting a caste census.” he said.

    Akhilesh claimed that there was a time when they pitched us against each other saying that Yadavs were depriving the other backwards of opportunities.

    “Earlier the Congress spent thousands of crores of rupees and got the caste census done but thestatistics were never released,” Akhilesh added.

  • BJP left red-faced as another ally Jitan Ram Manjhi demands probe into Pegasus snooping issue

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Jitan Ram Manjhi, another ally of the NDA in Bihar followed Nitish Kumar’s suit and demanded a probe into the Pegasus snooping row. 

    Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the founder chief of Hindustani Awami Morcha (HAM) said that if the Opposition is demanding a probe and Parliament sessions are being affected, then this matter must be investigated. “The Pegasus snooping should be investigated to establish the facts of the case and who has been spying,” Manjhi said.

    Despite being part of the NDA government in Bihar, Manjhi had expressed his objection over using Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s picture on the vaccine certificates. He had argued that the same image must be used on the death certificates of all those who succumbed to this deadly virus. 

    Experts in the state believe that statements made by Nitish Kumar and Manjhi on caste census and the Pegasus scandal have put the BJP in a spot.

  • JDU delegation meets Amit Shah to press for caste-based census

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Pushing its agenda of a caste-based census, a delegation of Janata Dal (United) MPs led by new party president Lalan Singh met Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday with the demand.

    The JD(U) had also passed a resolution in support of the caste-based counting of population, a move with potentially wide political ramifications, in its national executive meeting on Saturday where Singh was elected its president.

    Speaking to reporters, Singh said the Bihar assembly had passed unanimous resolutions in 2019 and 2020 for having census on the caste lines, and added that it is now for the central government to take a final decision.

    Shah, he said, assured them that the matter will be discussed.

    To a question that some Bihar BJP leaders have expressed reservation against such a move, he claimed that he was unaware of their stand but noted that the saffron party had also backed the resolutions in the assembly.

    The delegation of JD(U) MPs had sought time from the PMO to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for its demand but was asked to meet Shah.

    While the BJP and the JD(U), whose most prominent face is Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, are allies, the two parties have had differences over a host of issues.

    With groups representing caste interests often exaggerating the headcount of their community members, the JD(U) president said India’s population will work out to be three times the actual number if all these claims are taken at their face value as he pushed for a caste-based census.

    This will also help the government in framing its development policies targeting different communities, he said, noting that it was in 1931 when the caste-based census was last done.

  • No proposal at present to release 2011 caste census data: Government

    Rai said the SECC 2011 data, excluding the caste data, had been finalised and published by the MoRD and the HUPA.