Patna: Janata Dal (United) leader, Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, on Thursday criticised the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, Lalu Yadav, over the issue of the caste census, stating that the credit for the decision should go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
This statement comes after Lalu Yadav posted on X that when he was the National President of the Janata Dal, the United Front government in Delhi had decided in 1996-97 to conduct a caste census for the 2001 Census, a decision that was later not implemented by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government.
As the caste census debate intensifies, several Opposition parties, including the Congress and Samajwadi Party, are making assertions of being the driving force behind the NDA government’s decision to conduct the caste census along with the general census.
Speaking to IANS, Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said, “They are talking about 1996-97. They should also remember Nitish Kumar’s speech in Parliament in 1994, where he strongly advocated for this issue. He gave a long, detailed, and thought-provoking speech.
"Later, in 2020, when we were part of the NDA government, under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, the Bihar Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution on this issue. At that time, the NDA was in power. Just because some people remain silent doesn’t mean they can start claiming credit now.”
“This was Nitish Kumar’s vision, and Prime Minister Modi adopted the Bihar model. So, if anyone deserves credit for this decision, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who made it happen,” he added.
Rajiv Ranjan Prasad further responded to Lalu Yadav’s statement that when they wanted to conduct a caste census, they were accused of doing politics based on caste.
"He was also a minister at the Centre when caste surveys were conducted from 1990 to 2005. It was their government, and they could have done it then. No one will believe it — when they are in power, they don’t act, but when they are in Opposition, they talk a lot," he concluded.
On April 30, the Prime Minister Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) approved the enumeration of castes in the upcoming Census — a surprising decision, especially given the BJP's long-standing resistance to it.
The pan-India census, delayed since 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is now set to proceed.
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