Decision on state-level caste census only after Centre’s response: Bihar CM

Talking to media persons after his weekly “Janata ke durbar me mukhyamantri” programme, Nitish Kumar said that his letter was acknowledged by the PMO on August 13

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi deserves praise for removing the confusion regarding a state’s right to classify other backward castes (OBCs).

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

“The states had the right to classify OBCs earlier also. In Bihar, former CM Karpoori Thakur also created a separate category for extremely backward classes (EBCs). Different states have done it differently, as they were empowered to do so. There was, however, some confusion for the last few years. After the court order, the Centre decided to clarify that states continue to have the right,” he said, reiterating his demand for the caste census, saying it would be in the interest of the country and it was for the Centre to decide.

Talking to media persons after his weekly “Janata ke durbar me mukhyamantri” programme to listen to people’s problems directly and address them, Kumar said that his letter was acknowledged by the PMO on August 13.

“Now whenever he deems fit, we will discuss the matter with him. If it has to be done at t he state level, that is a separate issue. It will be decided through a unanimous decision after talking to all sections. But right now, that is not the issue,” he said.

Kumar said that he had been advocating the need for caste-based census across the country for a long time. “It was done separately between 2011-13, but the report did not come out. We want it to be with the Census at least once to have a clear picture, as it will help in planning and policy-making for they weaker sections,” he added.