“BJP Not Against Caste Census”: Sushil Modi Ahead Of Nitish Kumar-PM Meet

Patna:

A day earlier than a Nitish Kumar-led Bihar cross-party delegation’s assembly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ask for a caste-based census, BJP chief Sushil Modi mentioned in tweets that his get together isn’t averse to such an train. His feedback betrayed the ruling BJP’s powerful political tightrope stroll on the topic weeks after the federal government instructed parliament that it had determined to not perform a caste-based depend as a matter of coverage.

“BJP was by no means in opposition to caste-based census, we have now additionally been a part of resolutions handed within the legislative meeting and council in its help. The delegation that may meet PM Modi additionally features a BJP consultant,” Sushil Modi wrote in a collection of posts on Sunday.

Nitish Kumar’s former deputy mentioned in 2011, the BJP’s Gopinath Munde had spoken in favour of a caste-based depend in parliament. “When the then authorities carried out a social, financial and caste-based evaluation, there have been shortcomings in knowledge. The variety of communities bumped into lakhs. That report was not made public due to the errors. It was not a part of the Census,” Mr Modi mentioned.

In accordance with him, the final time a caste-based depend occurred was in 1931, underneath British rule, when Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha had been one entity.

“On the time, of round 1 crore individuals in Bihar, solely individuals of twenty-two castes had been counted. After 90 years, there are massive variations now – financial, social, geographical and political. There are technical and sensible difficulties in a caste-based census, however nonetheless, the BJP helps it in precept,” Mr Modi tweeted.

All events in Bihar have known as for a caste census, however for the BJP, it’s a politically difficult topic with the state agenda at odds with the nationwide view.

The previous Bihar Deputy Chief Minister’s tweets had been seen to defend the BJP’s stand in opposition to the notion that the ruling get together is chilly to the thought and that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar needed to wait too lengthy for an appointment with the Prime Minister on the topic. The posts are additionally being interpreted as belated realisation within the get together that it has proved politically very expensive for them to “miss this bus” previously and even now, this might simply play out to the benefit of Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav.

On July 20, in a written reply to a query in parliament, Minister of State for House Affairs Nityanand Rai had mentioned: “The Authorities of India has determined as a matter of coverage to not enumerate caste-wise populations aside from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes within the census.”

Mr Modi sought to level out that the BJP can be part of at the moment’s delegation – the get together’s Janak Ram, a Bihar minister, will meet with PM Modi together with Nitish Kumar, opposition chief Tejashwi Yadav, Congress chief Ajeet Sharma, Left leaders and former Chief Minister and President of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) Jitan Ram Manjhi.

After Independence, leaders like BR Ambedkar had argued {that a} caste census can be inimical to an equitable society. Each census since 1947 has solely counted Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.