Bihar Caste Census: An all-party meeting headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to discuss the findings of the caste census is underway in Patna. A presentation on the findings of the survey will be made before representatives of nine parties.
The findings of the survey were released on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti triggering a political stir in the country as Congress and other opposition parties pressed the demand for a similar survey for pan-India.
Ahead of the meeting, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, “...the survey has provided an estimate of the population of all sections of the society, many of which were not counted during the census. It has also come out with a fresh estimate of the Scheduled Castes. We can see a slight increase in their population compared with a decade ago."
Rahul Gandhi demands for cast census for country
Nitish Kumar extended his support to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who demanded for similar survey for the entire country. Gandhi said the survey has established that OBCs, SCs and STs together account for 84 per cent of Bihar’s population, it is essential to know the caste data of the entire country.
Kumar asserted the caste survey conducted by his government will provide an impetus for a nationwide census of all social groups. He claimed that he had been raising the demand for a nationwide headcount of castes since 1989 when he first became a member of Parliament. He slammed the BJP-led Central government for failure to conduct even a normal census, which should have taken place in 2021 itself.
Bihar caste survey faces legal hurdle
The Supreme Court today agreed to hear the issue of the caste survey conducted by the Bihar government on October 6, reported news agency ANI. The petitioner's lawyer mentioned before the court that the Bihar government has published caste survey data.
(With PTI inputs)
Also read: Bihar caste survey: Supreme Court to hear matter on October 6
