Union Minister Chirag Paswan has once again taken a stance contrary to that of his ally, the BJP, this time over the caste census issue. The LJP leader made it clear that his party is firmly in favour of the caste census.
During a press conference on Sunday, Chirag Paswan reiterated his party’s position, stating, “My party has always kept its stand clear that it is in favour of the aste census.” We want the caste census to happen.”
He further explained the rationale behind his perspective, saying that “often, both the state and central governments design various schemes with caste considerations in mind, aiming to integrate these groups into the mainstream. To effectively allocate resources, the government needs accurate information about the population of each caste. Such data is essential for ensuring that funds are distributed proportionately. Therefore, the government should have access to these figures to properly implement these schemes and facilitate integration,” Paswan added.
However, he spoke against making the caste data public, cautioning that public access to the caste census could lead to social divisions.
#WATCH | On Caste Census, Union Minister Chirag Paswan says, “My party has always kept its stand clear that it is in favour of Caste Census. We want the Caste Census to happen. The reason for this is that many times the state government and the central government make many such… pic.twitter.com/jA3dZY8FdE
— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2024
Paswan’s remarks clash with the position of his ally, the BJP, which has been blocking opposition attempts to implement a nationwide caste census in Parliament. As the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Paswan had previously criticised lateral entry appointments in government roles, describing the practice in civil services as ‘completely wrong.’
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders have made the demand to conduct a caste census on multiple occasions. The grand old party included a commitment in their Lok Sabha election manifesto to carry out a nationwide socio-economic caste census if they came to power.