Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Wednesday, 1 June, that the state government will conduct a caste-based count in a set time frame and a cabinet will be decided before the final announcement.
Kumar clarified that his government is working on a caste-based "count" rather than a "census" to avoid legal complications, as per NDTV.
He added that the decision to hold a caste-based count was a unanimous decision. Kumar said, “In the meeting we unanimously decided that a caste-based census will be done in a set time frame. Soon a cabinet decision will be taken and it will be available in the public domain.”
The chief minister's decision comes after the all-party meet regarding the issue in Patna.
RJD's Tejashwi Yadav Hails Move
Hailing Kumar’s announcement, leader of Opposition and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav called it a ‘win’ and demanded the Centre to financially support the ‘survey,’ reported ANI.
He said, “It's a caste-based survey, not a census. It's our win. Today we suggested (in the all-party meeting) that social anthropologists should be included in this. Central govt should support it financially.”
Tejashwi, who threatened to hold a march from Patna to Delhi in case the caste-based census is not conducted, said on Wednesday, that the survey is in the interest of the people of Bihar.
(With inputs from ANI, NDTV.)