PATNA: Staying true to his reputation of being a shrewd politician, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has effectively blunted the Opposition campaign on issues they had planned to corner him on in the run-up to the next Assembly elections. Days after passing resolutions against the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and in favour of rolling out the National Population Register (NPR) in a new format, the CM on Thursday tabled a third in the Assembly for a caste-based census in the state in 2021 and got it cleared by both the treasury and opposition benches.
Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said that the resolution mooted by the CM had been adopted unanimously by the House. The resolution would be sent to the Centre soon for its approval. Addressing the House on Thursday, the CM said that the caste census should be taken beyond the precincts of the state and made a pan-India exercise. Speaking to mediapersons earlier in January, the CM had advocated a nationwide caste census, the likes of which, he claimed, had not been carried out in the country since 1930.
Also, in a further indication that the ties between the ruling Janata Dal United and the principal opposition player Rashtriya Janata Dal could be on the mend, members of the latter, on Thursday, chose not to share the stage with those from their partners in the Opposition grand alliance (Mahagathbandhan) in favour of the CPI’s ongoing Sambidhan Bachao Rally (Save Constitution Rally) in Patna.Subodh Rai, an RJD leader and a member of the Legislative Council, said there was no sense in persisting with the campaign against the NRC and NPR when the House has already adopted resolutions against them. The remark hinted at a perceived change in equations with JD(U).
Resolution to be sent for Centre’s nod
Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said that the resolution mooted by the CM had been adopted unanimously by the House. The resolution would be sent to the Centre soon for its approval.