Nitish Kumar led party has not yet set a timeframe for the census ahead of State polls
According to report Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) has intensified its stance with the bihar assembly elections approaching, pressing the PM narendra Modi-led nda government for swift implementation of the caste census. In the middle of increasing clamour over caste census by Congress, Bihar’s ruling JD(U) is also aiming to solidify its electoral position in its state before the elections. The party has now ramped up its demand for the long-pending caste-based survey, arguing that it is crucial for ensuring equitable resource distribution and addressing the socio-economic disparities among backward communities. The senior leaders of JD(U) said the party has not yet set a timeframe for its ally bjp but is now engaging at the Union government’s level to initiate the census.Perhaps rajeev Ranjan Prasad, national secretary of JD(U), said: “Bihar has been a champion on this. Nitish Kumar-ji is a pioneer of social justice and he is the first chief minister to have a caste survey conducted. We have cleared our stand on this, and we said that we want the caste census to take place soon.”Currently nda government is facing pressure from its allies, especially the two from bihar JD(U) and LJP for initiating the process. A senior JD(U) leader said the Union government will soon start the necessary exercises for conducting the census. “As the census starts, we will ensure that the government includes evaluating the caste dynamics in the country and releases the caste data for the people to see and for the governments to design their schemes around it.”Moreover the RSS, BJP’s ideological fountainhead, in its last Samanvaya Baithak held in kerala in early September, said the organisation had no objection if the government collected caste data for the upliftment of backward communities. However, the organisation expressed its concern over the possibility of the caste data being manipulated for political and election purposes.