New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Monday led an all-party delegation for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the demand for conducting a caste census in the country.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Nitish Kumar said that members of 10 parties were in the delegation.
“Everyone put forward their views while demanding a caste census,” he said. “The Prime Minister listened to us carefully. We hope that a way will be found for conducting a caste census.”
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The Bihar Chief Minister said conducting a caste census will be beneficial for the country, including his state.
“The benefits of government schemes will reach the weaker sections of the society, including scheduled castes and tribes, which will help them develop rapidly,” he said. “Therefore, there should be no delay in conducting the caste census. It will help in making development plans based on the actual number of weaker caste sections. We have passed a resolution unanimously twice in Bihar and sent it to the central government demanding that a caste census should be conducted”
According to Nitish Kumar, conducting a caste census will not create tension in the society. When asked if the Bihar government will conduct a caste census on its own if the central government does not do it, he said that “we have full faith that the central government will conduct it across the country”.
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“Today, the discussion was very positive,” he said. “If the central government does not do it then how do we conduct it in Bihar? We will consider how to get it done, but we have full hope that the central government will take concrete steps.”
Monday's delegation included Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Tejashwi Yadav, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Minister in Bihar government and Vikassheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahni, leader of MIM Legislature Party in Bihar Akhtarul Iman, and leaders of Left parties. Janak Ram, Minister in the Bihar government and a BJP leader, was also part of the delegation.
Though there has been a demand for a caste census for a long time, the BJP says that conducting such census can create tension in the society and that the central government is taking special care of people of every section of the society.
