RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav along with Grand Alliance legislators meet Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the matter of caste census, at Bihar Assembly, in Patna, Friday, July. 30.
Leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav on Friday met Bihar Chief Minister and urged him to take up the issue of a caste-based census with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In this regard, the CM has agreed, in principle, claimed Tejashwi.
The issue has gained momentum after Centre’s recent statement in the Parliament that a caste-based census would include only the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes has triggered a fresh demand for inclusion of the OBCs, who dominate the political scenario in Bihar post-implementation of the Mandal commission report.
Yadav after meeting the CM said, "The chief minister told us that he agreed with our demand for a caste-based census. He said he was leaving for Delhi later in the day. Upon his return on August 02 he will write to the Prime Minister and seek an appointment."
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Notably, Kumar, an OBC himself, too has repeatedly spoken in favour of holding a caste-based census and recently urged the centre to reconsider its stance on the issue. Besides, resolutions in support of a caste-based census have been passed unanimously by both Houses of the state legislature in the past.
Yadav claimed, "we also proposed that in the event of the centre not agreeing to the demand, the state should consider holding such an exercise on its own as Karnataka did a few years ago. The Bihar chief minister said he was not aware of the same but would look into this alternative as well".
A "social and educational survey" was held in the southern state way back in 2015.
Yadav pressed further that if the Centre is unwilling to hold the exercise, the Bihar government should do it on its own expense.
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