JD(U)’s Soft Nudge to Modi Govt as Caste Census Battle Heats Up Ahead of Elections in Bihar

Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) has intensified its stance with the Bihar assembly elections approaching, pressing the PM Narendra Modi-led NDA government for swift implementation of the caste census. In the middle of increasing clamour over caste census by Congress, Bihar’s ruling JD(U) is also aiming to solidify its electoral position in its state before the elections.

The party has now ramped up its demand for the long-pending caste-based survey, arguing that it is crucial for ensuring equitable resource distribution and addressing the socio-economic disparities among backward communities. The senior leaders of JD(U) said the party has not yet set a timeframe for its ally BJP but is now engaging at the Union government’s level to initiate the census.

Talking to News18, Rajeev Ranjan Prasad, national secretary of JD(U), said: “Bihar has been a champion on this. Nitish Kumar-ji is a pioneer of social justice and he is the first chief minister to have a caste survey conducted. We have cleared our stand on this, and we said that we want the caste census to take place soon.”

Ranjan added: “We are now engaging at the government level for the speedy implementation of caste census across states. We are in the NDA government. As a responsible ally, we have not fixed any timeframe for this, but we have urged the ministries concerned to initiate the process soon.”

As the political temperature rises, the JD(U) appears to be leveraging the issue to appeal to its core voter base, sending a clear message that it won’t compromise on the key agenda ahead of the elections.

Election nears, caste follows close

Over the past week, the issue of caste census seems to have come back to the fore with Congress including the issue as part of its poll promise in Haryana, while Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reiterated his stand on releasing caste data. Addressing a gathering in Mysore on Sunday, the chief minister said his government would take the necessary steps to bring out and implement the caste survey report in the coming days.

In such a situation, the NDA government is facing pressure from its allies, especially the two from Bihar — JD(U) and LJP — for initiating the process. A senior JD(U) leader said the Union government will soon start the necessary exercises for conducting the census. “As the census starts, we will ensure that the government includes evaluating the caste dynamics in the country and releases the caste data for the people to see and for the governments to design their schemes around it.”

Significantly, the RSS, BJP’s ideological fountainhead, in its last Samanvaya Baithak held in Kerala in early September, said the organisation had no objection if the government collected caste data for the upliftment of backward communities. However, the organisation expressed its concern over the possibility of the caste data being manipulated for political and election purposes.