BENGALURU: Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale on Saturday said that the State Government has no power to conduct a caste census, as the power is vested with the Union Government.
He opined that the states don’t need to conduct their own caste census and advised the Karnataka government to cooperate with the Centre, which has announced a general census with caste enumeration.
“The State Government has no power to conduct a caste census. The power is vested with the Centre. But efforts are being made in a few states, like Karnataka, to conduct a caste census. With the Centre planning a census, a separate census by the state government is not necessary,” he told reporters in Bengaluru.
He was in the city to attend a Republican Party of India (RPI) conference and also Environment Day celebrations organised by environmental enthusiast Vijayraje Dhamal at Town Hall.
Meanwhile, Athawale claimed that the decision to include caste enumeration in the general census was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s own decision and not because of pressure from LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. “The Congress never thought of a caste census when it was in power,” he further said.
He asked the NDA in Karnataka—BJP and JDS—to include his party, RPI, as part of the alliance and together “fight the misrule of the ruling Congress” in the state.
He said that the Congress should have made AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge as Karnataka CM. “Kharge is a strong Dalit leader. He is a good friend of mine, and both of us keep meeting each other in the Parliament,” he said. He appreciated Kharge for setting up a Buddha Vihar in his home turf, Kalaburagi, which has acquired as much significance as Nagpur’s Deeksha Bhoomi.
Athawale further said that besides Kharge, he is also on good terms with Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, keeping aside the political differences. “I was in alliance with Congress in the past, and now for two terms in alliance with the BJP, and became a Rajya Sabha member. We are all Indians and
should be in good camaraderie despite the ideological differences,” he said. State RPI president M Venkataswamy hoped that Siddaramaiah would propose the name of a Dalit as the next Chief Minister if he decided to step down.
‘THOROUGH PROBE WILL REVEAL CAUSE BEHIND AIR CRASH’
Union MoS for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale on Saturday said the Air India crash in Ahmedabad should be probed thoroughly, as it is for the first time in the history of the world that both engines of an aircraft failed. “In Karnataka, an Air India Express Flight 812 crashed (on May 22, 2010) while landing in Mangaluru.
The Ahmedabad crash is even more horrific. Before takeoff, a thorough pre-flight check of the aircraft usually happens. A thorough investigation is required to ascertain the facts,” he said. “Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu has set up an expert committee to conduct the probe.
It will ascertain whether it was the fault of the pilots, technicians or anyone else. It will reveal if there was any conspiracy by, if at all, by Pakistan,” he clarified. “Opposition parties are seeking the resignation of PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Rammohan Naidu for political reasons....,” he said, adding that he will visit Ahmedabad to take stock of the situation.