PATNA: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Sunday said the caste-wise census should be done at least once in the entire country.
Responding to a media query ahead of his meeting with PM Narendra Modi, Nitish further said that the demand for caste-wise enumeration of population during the census-2021 was an important issue and “we have been demanding it since long.”
Nitish would lead an 11-member delegation of 10 political parties from Bihar and meet the PM in Delhi on Monday (August 23) to press for the demand of caste-wise census across the country. The delegation would meet the PM at 11am.
Asked if the demand for caste census would be resolved during his meeting with the PM on Monday, Kumar said, “Let us see.”
“If our demand (caste-wise census) is conceded, nothing could be better than that. It is not that only the people of Bihar are asking for the caste-based census, the people in the entire country are thinking on a similar line. Hence, the caste-wise census must be done at least once in the entire country… Leaders of all political parties from Bihar will together meet the PM and put forward this demand,” said the Bihar chief minister.
The Bihar CM and some other members of the delegation reached Delhi on Sunday evening. The leader of opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who will represent RJD in the delegation, is already in Delhi for the last two days.
The long-pending demand for holding caste-wise census was revived again in July this year after the Union government informed the Lok Sabha that it would not enumerate population caste-wise, except those from the SCs and STs.
Replying to a written query in the Lok Sabha on July 20 this year, Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai (who also hails from Bihar) said that the government of India has decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in census.
Earlier, the state governments of Maharashtra and Odisha too had requested the Centre to collect caste details in the forthcoming census.
Reacting over the Centre’s reply in the Lok Sabha, Nitish Kumar on July 24 asked the Centre to reconsider its decision of not enumerating caste-wise population in the forthcoming decennial census.
Nitish also said Bihar assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on February 18, 2019 and again on February 27, 2020 demanding caste-wise enumeration of population. He said both the resolutions were sent to the Union ministry of home affairs and the Union government was requested to hold caste-wise enumeration of population during the census-2021.
Responding to a media query ahead of his meeting with PM Narendra Modi, Nitish further said that the demand for caste-wise enumeration of population during the census-2021 was an important issue and “we have been demanding it since long.”
Nitish would lead an 11-member delegation of 10 political parties from Bihar and meet the PM in Delhi on Monday (August 23) to press for the demand of caste-wise census across the country. The delegation would meet the PM at 11am.
Asked if the demand for caste census would be resolved during his meeting with the PM on Monday, Kumar said, “Let us see.”
“If our demand (caste-wise census) is conceded, nothing could be better than that. It is not that only the people of Bihar are asking for the caste-based census, the people in the entire country are thinking on a similar line. Hence, the caste-wise census must be done at least once in the entire country… Leaders of all political parties from Bihar will together meet the PM and put forward this demand,” said the Bihar chief minister.
The Bihar CM and some other members of the delegation reached Delhi on Sunday evening. The leader of opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who will represent RJD in the delegation, is already in Delhi for the last two days.
The long-pending demand for holding caste-wise census was revived again in July this year after the Union government informed the Lok Sabha that it would not enumerate population caste-wise, except those from the SCs and STs.
Replying to a written query in the Lok Sabha on July 20 this year, Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai (who also hails from Bihar) said that the government of India has decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in census.
Earlier, the state governments of Maharashtra and Odisha too had requested the Centre to collect caste details in the forthcoming census.
Reacting over the Centre’s reply in the Lok Sabha, Nitish Kumar on July 24 asked the Centre to reconsider its decision of not enumerating caste-wise population in the forthcoming decennial census.
Nitish also said Bihar assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on February 18, 2019 and again on February 27, 2020 demanding caste-wise enumeration of population. He said both the resolutions were sent to the Union ministry of home affairs and the Union government was requested to hold caste-wise enumeration of population during the census-2021.