PATNA/NEW DELHI: Despite the Centre recently ruling out caste census in 2021 in its affidavit before the Supreme Court, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday pressed ahead saying it was the need of the hour and served national interest. Similar demands came from chief ministers of Jharkhand and Odisha during Sunday’s meeting in Delhi with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Left-wing extremism.
While Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren submitted a memorandum in support of caste-based census, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said his government would do whatever is sensible to reduce discrimination in his state.
Addressing media after the Delhi meeting, Nitish said enumeration of castes was key to effective implementation of welfare schemes and “it would not be proper if it is not conducted”. Nitish said he would convene an all-party meeting in Bihar to discuss the situation and chart the future course.
While Nitish said he does not see any point in leaving the NDA over this issue, his statement put the Bihar BJP in a tight spot as it has been advised by its leadership to expose the parties demanding caste census. Three of the four NDA constituents — JD(U), HAM and VIP — have broken ranks and are supporting the Opposition on the issue.
Predictably, former deputy chief minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi defended the Centre’s line, saying caste-based census was difficult as it was not ‘just a matter of adding a column’. “But if any state wants to conduct it, it can go ahead and do it like Karnataka had done earlier or like Odisha is doing now,” Modi said. “If the Bihar NDA wants to conduct the survey, it can do it. But it is not practically possible for the Centre to conduct it now,” he added.