Patna: Leader of opposition in Bihar Tejashwi Prasad Yadav today wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on caste census while simultaneously also targeting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the same.
In his two-page letter, Tejashwi demanded conducting of a caste census, the proposal for which was passed in both houses of Parliament by the NDA government in 2019 as well as in 2020. Tejashwi also reminded Modi that then Home Minister Rajnath Singh had assured the people of the country the conducting of a caste-based census.
“Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought time from the PM to press for the demand for a caste-based census and has also written him a letter about this. It's been more than a week but the PM has not given him any time. It's nothing but sheer insult to Nitish who is running the government with NDA in Bihar. The PM has ample time to meet other leaders but he does not have time for Nitish ji. It completely proves what kind of status Nitish has in NDA,” Tejashwi said while interacting with the press at the party office.
Also read: Tejashwi Yadav questions U-turn by NDA on caste census
The former deputy Chief Minister also said that despite the request made by Bihar Chief Minister, the Prime Minister was not giving time to an all-party delegation from Bihar demanding a caste census. A few days back, Nitish himself had said that he had written a letter to Modi seeking time for a meeting but had not received any response.
“In last monsoon session, I along with other leaders of Congress and Left had met the CM to pressurise the Centre for a caste-based census. Nitish ji had agreed to seek time from the PM. On August 4, CM wrote a letter to PM seeking time but so far Nitish ji has not got any reply from the PM. We had also demanded that if the Centre refuses, Bihar can follow Karnataka by doing its own caste census in the state. PM is meeting Bengal CM, Punjab CM but Bihar which has given 39 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats to NDA is being ignored. Why is the PM not giving time to the Bihar CM?” Tejashwi asked.
A few days back, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too had questioned its partner BJP as to why the saffron party had supported a caste census earlier. The Bihar Chief Minister has been standing in support of a caste census and time and again has reiterated that a caste-based census must be conducted.
Earlier, while replying to a question in parliament, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai had declared that no caste census other than SC, ST will be conducted as a matter of policy by the government of India.
Tejashwi made it clear that supporting a caste-based census does not mean that he was doing any caste politics.
“Caste-based census will give an opportunity of empowerment to the downtrodden, suppressed and backward people. For the treatment of any diseases you first need to know about the disease. If the exact number is not revealed. how will they get the benefit of government schemes and how would the budget be allocated to them. Caste census is the mechanism to know the in and out of that disease. As CM is not getting time, I have also written a letter to PM,” Tejashwi asserted.
Two days back, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad had urged the people to boycott the census if the caste census was not conducted. Lalu had posted a tweet from his official Twitter handle saying that backwards, extremely backwards, dalits and minorities of the country may boycott the census if caste census is not conducted. Lalu had mentioned that when the majority of the people will not get benefit from the census, "will we make pickles of animals census"?
Also read: Tejashwi asks Nitish to ape Karnataka on separate caste census
In his letter, Tejashwi has stressed that, after 1931, no caste-based census has been conducted in the country and now it is the demand of the majority that a caste census be conducted without further delay.
Tejashwi requested the Prime Minister to ensure that a caste-based census must be included in the proposed census and he also should instruct the officials concerned for the same.
Patna-based political expert Dr Sanjay Kumar too opined that all is not well between the Prime Minister and Nitish Kumar.
“If an NDA government is there in Bihar and the chief minister of the state has sought time from the PM by sending a letter to him then he must get a response. If the CM is not getting any response from his side then surely it's a matter of concern. Not getting any response also proves that the PM has maintained distance from the Bihar CM. PM has time to meet the son of Jitan Ram Manjhi but has no time for Nitish Kumar. Last time the Bihar CM was there in Delhi for more than a week. During that period also the PM did not meet him. It proves that all is not well between PM and CM Nitish Kumar,” Dr Kumar said.
“I can understand that it is the jurisdiction of the PM to meet or not but if he can meet Mamata Banerjee and other leaders why not the Bihar CM? This state has given 39 members to Parliament and despite that the PM is delaying the meeting. Such an act proves that the relation is not cordial with Nitish.”
Also read: Tejashwi lashes out at Bihar govt on day 1 of monsoon session of assembly
Meanwhile, Tejashwi downplayed the issue when was asked about the internal chaos in the party especially after his elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav called Jagdanand Singh as Hitler. Tejashwi said that all is well in the RJD and nobody is angry.
Ever since Tej Pratap had termed Jagdanand as Hitler, the RJD state unit president is missing from the action. He has not attended office since then nor issued any statement over the controversy.
