Caste census: All eyes on meeting with PM

All eyes are on the proposed meeting on Monday between all party delegations from Bihar with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of caste census

All eyes are on the proposed meeting on Monday between all party delegations from Bihar with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of caste census. The all-party delegation led by chief minister Nitish Kumar has been emphasising the need of doing caste census once.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar ties rakhis to trees in Patna on the occasion of Rakshabandhan on Sunday. (Santosh Kuma/HT)

“It is a crucial issue and we have been seeking this for a long time. It if works out, nothing could be better than that. Moreover, it would be not just for Bihar, people in the whole country will benefit from this. It should be done at least once. We will put forward our views from this angle. We will keep our views before the PM on Monday,” said chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday after tying rakhis to trees in Patna on the occasion of Rakshabandhan to spread awareness on environmental conservation.

“Some people have reached Delhi already and some will go with me. Tomorrow we will meet at 11,” he said. Asked if the matter will be resolved tomorrow, he said, “We will see”.

CM Kumar left for New Delhi on Sunday evening for the meeting.

Earlier on Saturday, Kumar had said, “The people desire that there must be a caste-based census. I hope there will be a positive discussion on this. If the caste census is not conducted by the Centre in the country, then it will be considered by the government in Bihar.”

Kumar reiterated that “there is a countrywide sentiment in favour of a caste census to be conducted at least once. There should be no misgivings as such an exercise will be beneficial for all social groups”.

Earlier in the day, Kumar tied rakhis to trees in Patna on the occasion of Rakshabandhan. The NDA-led Bihar government has been observing Rakshabandhan as ‘Vriksh Raksha Diwas’ (Tree Protection Day) since 2012 to protect Bihar’s green cover.

Kumar urged people to plant saplings and save them to conserve the environment.

“We need to plant trees and save them. The state government has been focusing on planting saplings under the Jal Jeewan Hariyali mission. The future generation is now aware of the environment conservation,” he said.