The politics on caste census in OBC-dominated Bihar has again gained traction with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday asserting that the work begun on a State-level caste-based census will not be “delayed” anymore.
Talking to newspersons in Patna , the Chief Minister said he had also made this known to leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav who met him last week to discuss the issue.
"Zyada der nahin lagega (it will not take long)….. We will convene an all-party meeting where representatives can give their suggestions. It will be followed by a cabinet approval. Modalities like how many officials to deploy etc will also be worked out," said Kumar.
The JD(U) leader said the proposed all-party meeting could have taken place earlier but for "other engagements like elections which kept all busy".
"Humne unko bata diya hai (I have told him)," said Kumar when asked about the meeting he had with Yadav, his former deputy, who had been alleging procrastination on the issue.
In Bihar, the BJP is on the same page as the JD (U) given the political ramifications it has. However, the Modi Government has remained non-committal despite a strong demand for it from many political parties, including BJP’s allies. Resolutions have even been passed in 2019 and 2020, unanimously, by the state legislature in Bihar in support of the caste census.
In August 2021, BJP’s Lok Sabha MP Sanghamitra Maurya too echoed the demand of the caste enumeration. NDA ally (besides JDU) Apna Dal had also called for the caste census following the passage of the Constitution 127 A Amendment Bill, 2021, which restores the power of states to identify OBCs that are socially and economically backward.
The centre too had then mulled over the possibility of a caste census but backtracked on it after a while. “The central government has not enumerated caste-wise population other than Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) since independence,” Lok Sabha was informed by the Government on February 08, 2022, without any elaboration.
Prior to this on August 23, 2021, Nitish Kumar had led an all party delegation and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi apprising him of the wish of all parties in Bihar to have a caste census.
The numerically dominating OBCs in the state to which some of the key leaders in the state like Kumar , JD(U)’s Upendra Kushwah and the opposition RJD leader Tejeswi Yadav belong to, are seeking the caste census to gain influence in the state politics. State BJP leaders too are backing the move notwithstanding the centre’s non-committal stance on it.The BJP and JDU leaders in Bihar have been trading charges against each other for delaying the caste census.
Blaming the BJP, Kushwaha said that because of the BJP, no decision is being made about the caste census. Hitting out at the BJP, Kushwaha further said because of the BJP, the all-party meeting is not being held and no decision is being taken regarding the caste census.
Reacting to Kushwaha, BJP spokesperson Ram Sagar Singh said, “It seems Kushwaha does not listen to Nitish Kumar's statement properly. Kumar himself has said that work is going on the matter of the caste census. Kushwaha should first consult with Kumar before asking these questions.”