JOIN USNitish Kumar announces caste-based survey in Bihar
Ending the suspense over a caste-based census in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Wednesday that the state would undertake a socio-economic survey of all castes and communities.
Kumar, who heads the National Democratic Alliance—Bharatiya Janata Party is a part—government in the state, revealed the decision after an all-party meeting that included BJP leaders as well.
The announcement comes at a time when the BJP-led central government has, so far, refrained from making any commitment in favour of a national caste count.
The last caste-based census was carried out in 1931.
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Tejashwi Yadav, who made common cause with Kumar on the issue of caste census in the state, also demanded that the Centre provide financial help to carry out the exercise.
Yadav’s demand could create some discomfiture for the Modi-led BJP government, which in the past has been averse to the idea of caste census.
“The government of India has decided, as a matter of policy, not to enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in census,” the Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, who also hails from Bihar, had stated in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on July 20, 2021.
While Bihar has announced to undertake the caste survey on its own, Maharashtra and Odisha governments, last year, requested the Centre to collect caste details in the forthcoming census. Neither state is ruled by the BJP; Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition is at the helm in Maharashtra, while Biju Janata Dal rules Odisha.
The Bihar government’s decision comes three days after leaders of RJD, Janata Dal (United), Aam Aadmi Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal, CPI-M, Trinamool Congress and Apna Dal-K had made a strong pitch for caste census in a meeting in Delhi. The meeting was on May 29 at a Social Justice Conclave held to commemorate the 35th death anniversary of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
The resolution passed on the occasion said an immediate implementation of the caste census was required to enable targeted affirmative action for those communities that have been left behind.
The conclave resolution also sought for setting up of an organisation like a Social Justice Commission or an Equal Opportunities Commission to analyse data of the caste census. The resolution also stated that this data should be used to draft a new job policy, which ensures equitable distribution of opportunities in both public and private sectors.
The Bihar chief minister had earlier led an all-party delegation to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
In the past, both the BJP and the Congress have been wary of taking a categorical stand on the matter. Last year, the Congress had set up a panel to ‘study’ caste census. Both SP and BSP have supported the caste census. Even the Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly, Siddaramaiah, had also backed it strongly.