Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to meet PM Modi on August 23, focus on caste-based census

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has informed that he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, on 23th August to discuss the issue of a caste-based census. Kumar said that he had an appointment with the PM to meet him along with a delegation from Bihar to conduct the caste-based census. He thanked the Prime Minister for giving him time for the meeting.

"I had sought an appointment with the PM to meet him along with a delegation from Bihar to conduct the caste-based census. Many thanks to the respected Prime Minister for giving time to meet on 23 August," the Bihar CM said in an official statement.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to meet PM Modi on Monday to discuss caste-based census

In Bihar, Kumar's Janata Dal (United) is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and supports a caste-based census. The state Chief Minister had requested an audience with the Prime Minister since he has been lobbying for a caste-based census in the country. "The demand of the caste census is not just the demand from Bihar but other states also. Our party MPs had written a letter seeking time to meet the Prime Minister. The opposition parties in Bihar also wanted to meet the Prime Minister with us. We had written a letter to the Prime Minister regarding this," Kumar had said on Monday. 

Bihar Legislative Assembly passes unanimous resolution on caste-based census again

Given that seven states will hold assembly elections in 2022, the caste-based census and its implications on the country's political landscape remain a delicate topic for the administration. In 2019, the Bihar Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council overwhelmingly passed a resolution regarding the caste-based census, according to Kumar. In 2020, the State Legislative Assembly passed a resolution unanimously again. Lalu Prasad Yadav, former CM of Bihar, also put out a tweet earlier this month demanding a caste-based census. 

Why could caste-based census create problems?

Caste-based census is difficult to execute due to multiple factors. To date, there is no clarity over the population of OBCs in the population. Various surveys have presented different numbers and percentages. An error in the numbers could have a domino effect and the caste-based census could backfire. A number of communities have been asking for inclusion in the OBC community officially. There has not been any formal conclusion to these requests.

(With inputs from ANI)

(IMAGE: PTI/ ANI)