'BJP Has Never Been Against Caste-Based Census': Sushil Modi

A delegation led by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will meet with PM Modi on Monday to discuss the demand for a caste census.

File image of Sushil Kumar Modi.

(Photo: PTI)

Ahead of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter of caste-based census, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sushil Modi, in a series of statements posted on Twitter, asserted that the BJP has never been against the conduction of a caste census.

"There are many technical and practical difficulties in conducting caste census, yet BJP is in support of it in principle."

Sushil Modi, Bihar BJP MP

"The BJP has never been against caste census, that's why we have been a part of the resolution passed in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council on this issue. The BJP is also included in the delegation of Bihar going to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the Bihar MP stated.

A delegation of 11 political leaders of Bihar, headed by CM Nitish Kumar, is meeting Prime Minister Modi on Monday at 11 am. The delegation will discuss their demand for a caste-based census with the prime minister.

In 2011, BJP's Gopinath Munde had presented the party's side in Parliament in favour of the caste census, Sushil Modi noted in another tweet.

"When the then government conducted a social, economic and caste-based survey, there were crores of errors in the data. The number of communities ran into lakhs. That report was not made public because of the errors. It was not part of the Census," he added.

The Demand for Caste-Based Census

“The caste-based census will benefit all sections of the society and facilitate more effective governance,” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was quoted as saying by PTI on Thursday, days before his meeting with the PM.

Earlier this month, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati had said that her party would lend support to the Centre if the government takes suitable measures to conduct a census of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The demand for a caste-based census comes just months before the Assembly elections scheduled in several states next year, including Uttar Pradesh, which remains divided deeply along caste lines.

The central government has, however, articulated its reluctance against a caste-based census.

"In Census, the castes and tribes which are specifically notified as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 (as amended from time to time) are enumerated. The Union of India after Independence, decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste wise population other than SCs and STs," the Home Ministry had told the Rajya Sabha on 10 March.

The last caste-based census in the country was held in 1931, with every headcount conducted since Independence only recording persons from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

(With inputs from PTI)