Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren-led delegation to meet Amit Shah over census

The delegation will submit a memorandum demanding caste census and a separate column for Sarna tribal religion in the 2021 census.

Published on: Sep 24, 2021, 17:15:07 IST

By Vishal Kant

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Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren will head a delegation that will meet Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday to submit a memorandum demanding caste census and a separate column for Sarna tribal religion in the 2021 census. The meeting is being held days after Soren on September 7 wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an appointment for the delegation over the issue. People aware of the matter said the Prime Minister’s Office instead suggested a meeting with Shah as census comes under his ministry’s preview.

File photo: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren. (PTI)

“The meeting has been fixed at 4 pm at home minister Amit Shah’s residence on Sunday. We have invited all parties besides our allies Congress and RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal to be a part of the delegation). We have got confirmation from the Left parties and AJSU Party. We have also invited the BJP to join the delegation. It is now up to them to decide,” said Supriyo Bhattacharya, a spokesperson for Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

Jharkhand BJP chief Deepak Prakash earlier this week said they would not join any such delegation.

Bhattacharya said Soren spoke to Prakash again over the issue on Friday. “We are waiting for their response.”

Barring the BJP, all other parties have demanded caste census. The Jharkhand assembly last year adopted a unanimous resolution demanding a separate Sarna tribal religion column in the 2021 census.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishal Kant
Stationed in Ranchi, Vishal is heading the Jharkhand Bureau of Hindustan Times since November 2017. Besides leading the reporting team, Vishal tracks and writes on developments related to the state politics, economy and policy matters in Jharkhand. Prior to his current assignment, Vishal used to work in New Delhi after graduating from the University of Delhi. Vishal joined HT in the rank of Assistant Editor in August 2015 and was part of the Delhi Metro Bureau, covering a host of issues in the City-state including politics, policy---especially those related to urban traffic & transport infrastructure and railways. A native of Palamu district in Jharkhand, Vishal started his two-decade long career in the mainstream media in 2006. During this period, he has has worked in different capacity with a number of national media houses including the Financial Chronicle, India Today, Deccan Herald and The Hindu, before moving to the Hindustan Times. He holds the experience of having worked in three major mediums of mass communication--Print, Electronic and Digital. He is a proud father of two daughters.Read More

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