New Delhi: Cutting across the party lines, a delegation of 11 members led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday over the issue of conducting a caste-based census in the state and across the country.
The delegation comprising RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, BJP's Janak Ram, Congress leader Ajeet Sharma and former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi urged the PM to take "the appropriate decision".
While talking to reporters after meeting with the Prime Minister, the Bihar CM said that the ball is now in the PM's court and he has to take the decision on the issue of the caste-based census.
"People in Bihar and the entire country are of the same opinion on this issue. We are grateful to the Prime Minister for listening to us. We urge him to take an appropriate decision," he said, adding that once we have the caste data, then we can formulate policies for upliftment of each and every caste.
Kumar further said that the delegation also reminded the Prime Minister that Bihar Assembly has passed twice resolutions on holding a caste-based census.
Even though the parties have described the meeting as positive, as per sources, the PM has not yet given any assurance on conducting the caste-based census, either in the state or across the country.
The sources further said that the PM neither countered the delegation nor he expressed the Centre's inability to carry out such an exercise.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who spearheaded an all-out attack on Nitish Kumar and the BJP-JDU alliance ahead of last year's Assembly election, said, "If the animals and trees can be counted, then why can't people. The caste census is in the national interest. It will help the poor and deprived sections of the society."
Yadav also said that the delegation had told the Prime Minister that if the Centre feared a caste-based census would lead to tension, collecting information on religion should also be avoided.
Bihar minister and BJP leader Janak Ram, who was a part of the delegation, also spoke up in favour of the caste-based census, and urged the PM to consider the demand.
During the meeting, the PM surprised all when he enquired about the well-being of Lalu Prasad Yadav and reportedly teased former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi about his mask and remarked, "You are in a mask then how can we see your smiling face?"
Other members of the delegation, who met the PM, included Vijay Kumar Chaudhary (JDU), Mukesh Sahani (VIP), Mehboob Alam (Left), Suryakant Paswan (Left), Ajay Kumar (Left) and Akhtaraul Iman (AIMIM).