PATNA: Pressing the Centre to hold a Bihar-like caste census across the country, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Saturday said policies for all sections of the society could be formulated properly only when the actual representation in the population is known.
“Bihar government took the humanitarian work and conducted the caste census. Other states should do it too,” Tejaswi said.
On October 2, the Bihar government released the findings of the caste census which claimed that over 84 per cent of the population in Bihar comprises backwards including Extremely Backward Castes (EBC), Other Backward Castes (OBCs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs). The report was first-of-its-kind released since Independence.
Taking a leaf from Bihar, ruled by JD(U)-led grand alliance, also comprising RJD and Congress, the Rajasthan government by Congress’ Ashok Gehlot has announced that it will conduct a similar exercise like Bihar if voted back to power.
Moreover, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, while addressing an event, had promised the same in the poll-bound Chhattisgarh.
Karnataka, which recently brought Congress to the helm, is too mulling over it.
Hitting at the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party for “criticising” caste-based survey and “questioning the authenticity” of the data, Tejashwi said, “If they [BJP] have questions regarding the survey or data, why don’t they ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct a survey at the national level.”
Over BJP president J P Nadda’s claim that “regional parties will soon be finished”, Tejaswi asked “Do Modi and Nadda, both outsiders, know more about Bihar than us? How centre will survive when regional parties are finished?”
JD (U) national general secretary Rajiv Ranjan said according to reports, population of Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) is 46 per cent against 36 in Bihar.
State JD (U) president Umesh Kushwaha alleged even leaders like Jitan Ram Manjhi, Upendra Kushwaha and Chirag Paswan are speaking the language of the BJP.