NEW DELHI: The demand for a national caste census is gaining steam, with JD(U), a key ally of the NDA government, joining the chorus along with the Opposition INDIA bloc parties on Thursday.
The JD(U), the largest ally of the Modi government, demanded that caste census be taken up as a subject for discussion in the Parliament’s Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes. The issue was raised by DMK member TR Baalu at the first meeting of the committee, chaired by BJP MP Ganesh Singh.
Sources said Congress member Manickam Tagore wanted the committee to list caste census as the first subject for deliberations. He was supported by TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, who also wanted the committee to write to the Union Home Ministry on holding the survey.
A BJP member said that reservations should also cover recruitment done on contract and temporary basis, and ad-hoc appointments.
Along with the Opposition, JD(U) MP Giridhari Yadav wanted the caste census issue to be listed for deliberation by the committee. This assumes significance as the JD(U) has not made a strong pitch for caste census after joining the Modi 3.0 government. JD(U) leader KC Tyagi, in an interview with this newspaper earlier, had said that though the party is committed to the demand for a nationwide caste census, it does not want any friction with the government on the issue.
The JD(U) had been vocal on conducting a nationwide caste census in the past. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered a caste-based survey, whose findings were made public last year. The survey revealed that other backward and extremely backward classes constituted 63 per cent of Bihar’s population.
The assertion of the leaders comes amid speculation that the Union government is likely to announce the schedule for the decadal census in the coming months. The census has been indefinitely postponed since 2021, with the government citing Covid-19 pandemic as the reason. Reports also suggest that the Modi government is mulling a caste census along with the decadal census, facing pressure from Opposition and its allies.
Recently another ally, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan also asserted that he is in favour of the caste census. The Congress has been strongly pitching for caste census, and conducting a nationwide socio-economic caste census has been a key election promise of the party in the recently held general elections.
jd(u)’s renewed pitch for caste census
JD(U) MP Giridhari Yadav pitching for the caste census on Thursday’s Parliamentary Committee meeting assumes significance as the party has not made a strong pitch for caste census after joining the Modi 3.0 government. The JD(U) had been vocal on conducting a nationwide caste census in the past. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had ordered a caste-based survey, whose findings were made public last year.