BJP seeks apology from RJD's Tejashwi Yadav for 'lumping together' animals & SC, STs

In a key development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sought an apology from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tajashwi Yadav. The apology is in reference to the statement made by Tejashwi Yadav in a media briefing after meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the caste-based census issue. During the briefing, the RJD leader had put birds, animals, and the people of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe at par, and asked, "If their census could be conducted, then why not the general caste-census in the country?"

BJP seeks apology from RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav

Taking offence to the statement, the BJP demanded an apology from RJD's Tejashwi Yadav. Taking to his official Twitter handle, BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan asserted, "We seek an immediate apology from Tejashwi Prasad Yadav for lumping together animals, birds, Dalits and members of Tribal communities as one." He also tagged the BJP unit of Bihar in the post. 

From July 2020, the demand for caste-based census became louder than ever before when on the floor of the Parliament, the Centre said that the caste-wise enumeration of the population, except SCs and STs, would not be conducted during Census 2021. Addressing the members of the Parliament, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said that the decision of not conducting a caste-based census was taken as a 'matter of policy'.

Thereafter, many political parties, most vocal among which were the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, urged the Centre to revisit its decision, as a caste-based census would 'prove beneficial' for all. The political parties wrote to the Prime Minister and even sought an appointment for a meeting, which finally took place on August 23. Speaking about the meeting, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was leading the delegation, affirmed that the Prime Minister 'carefully listened', and that they are waiting for a nod from him.