Discussed caste census, says Tejashwi Yadav on 45-min meeting with Nitish Kumar

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said he discussed the proposed plan to conduct a caste census in Bihar and discussed the issue of unemployment

PATNA: A day after his ultimatum to chief minister Nitish Kumar on a statewide caste census, leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav met Nitish Kumar at a closed-door meeting on Wednesday evening. The interaction, their third in 20 days, lasted about 45 minutes.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar held a meeting with Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday, a day after he demanded the chief minister clarify his stand on caste census (PTI File Photo)

Emerging from the meeting, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader announced that the chief minister had assured him that he will convene an-all party meeting at the earliest to hold a caste-based census in the state.

“The CM assured me that the government is serious on this issue. He wants to have a dialogue with all parties to draw a abroad outline of caste census. As the matter requires the approval of the cabinet, he wants to consult all parties,” Tejashwi told reporters.

“There is no political meaning of the meeting. It was only to discuss caste census and other issues. I also raised the issue of unemployment and requested him to fill the vacant posts. He asked me to keep faith in him,” Tejashwi said.

Nitish Kumar’s meeting with Tejashwi is seen as an exercise by the JD (U) not to allow the RJD take the credit for caste census. The RJD, of late, has vociferously renewed the demand for caste census in the state. On Tuesday, JD (U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singha alias Lalan Singh underlined that the demand for a caste census had been raised by the JD (U). “We are not opposed to anybody’s padyatra (for a caste census),” he said.

The RJD leader on Tuesday delivered a shrill warning to the Nitish Kumar government to clarify his stand on the caste census within the next 48 to 72 hours, saying that he was going to seek an appointment from Nitish Kumar’s office and would launch a campaign. “If he does not call me or clear his stand on caste census proposal in Bihar, we will decide on our next course of action. We will no longer tolerate dilly dallying tactics,” Yadav said on Tuesday.

Tejashwi also threatened to start a padyatra from Patna to Delhi if the state government fails to initiate the process of the caste census. On Wednesday, Tejashwi Yadav who once worked as Nitish Kumar’s deputy when the Janata Dal (U) and RJD were in a short-lived alliance, indicated he will wait for the outcome of the all party meeting.

The union government last year ruled out a caste-wise enumeration in the census exercise.