Caste census a big win for JD(U), NDA: Sanjay Jha
JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha called it a big step that would help in planning policy for the backward and deprived sections more efficiently.
Janata Dal (United) working president Sanjay Jha welcomed the Centre’s decision to include caste-based enumeration in the next decadal census, calling it a big step that would help in planning policy for the backward and deprived sections more efficiently. Edited excerpts of his interview:
Do you see the government’s announcement as a victory for the JD(U) as your leader and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was pushing for caste census?
It is definitely a big win. Not just for the JD(U), but for the NDA as the BJP was also on board and had accepted the need for caste-based enumeration. Our leader Nitish Kumar has been raising the issue for a very long time, even when he was part of the INDIA bloc. However, no one paid heed to his demand then.
As a party, we feel once we have data about castes and their numerical strength, we will be able to plan policies more efficiently and make better interventions for the welfare of the deprived and vulnerable. It is an important exercise which has not been conducted since 1931, and it should have been done.
There is a perception that NDA allies such as your party put pressure on the government to accept this demand.
There was no pressure. You must remember that the BJP, which was part of the Bihar government, was on board when the state cabinet took the decision to conduct a caste survey in the state in 2022. BJP members were also part of the delegation that met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021 to make a case for caste-based enumeration... We are committed to ensuring empowerment and justice for all.
Opposition parties, particularly the RJD and Congress, are claiming credit for this decision.
…Why did the RJD not push the Congress government to carry out caste-based survey when the UPA was in power? Why did the RJD not do it when it was in power in Bihar? I want to put it on record that when Nitish Kumar proposed to have this issue on the agenda at the meeting of INDIA bloc in Mumbai, one chief minister protested and said she would boycott the meeting. The Congress succumbed as did the RJD.
Will the announcement have a favourable impact for the NDA in the upcoming Bihar elections?
The NDA’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections which preceded this announcement is an indication of the alliance’s strength and popularity in the state.