All parties on board for caste-based count, not census, says Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said all parties have agreed to a caste-based count instead of a census in the state. Earlier BJP had objected to a caste-based census saying the practice is discriminatory.

The CM announced that the caste-based count is to avoid legal complications that may come with the census. He added that the proposal will be passed by the state cabinet to implement the proposal.

The announcement comes after an all-party meeting was held in Patna over the issue. The discussion has been dominating Patna's politics since last year. The suggestion first came from RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav. The Chief Minister backed the demand.

Last year, an all-party delegation from Bihar headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press the demand for the census. The Centre had expressed its inability to undertake the headcount of social groups other than the Dalits and the tribals. Many OBC sections in the state resented the response.

Leader of Opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Yadav said the decision is their win. He added that RDJ suggested in the meeting that social anthropologists should be included in the process. The results will be available in the public domain.

The survey is in the interest of the people of Bihar and the central government should finance it, said Yadav. RDJ has demanded the survey begin in November 2022 because people who reside outside Bihar will also come home for Chhath puja. Nitish Kumar said the final decision was made unanimously and a census will be done in a set time frame.