Union minister Chirag Paswan on Sunday supported the call for a nationwide caste census. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and one of the key allies of the NDA government, Paswan said that his party has always maintained its stance that it is in favour of a caste census.
He said that that it would help the government create better schemes to bring marginalized castes into the mainstream.
We want the caste census to happen. The reason for this is that often state and central governments develop schemes with caste considerations in mind. These schemes are designed to integrate these communities into the mainstream. In such cases, the government should have information about the population of each caste.
“It should be available so that resources can be allocated proportionally. For any scheme or effort to integrate a caste into the mainstream, the government needs to have these figures,” he added.
Paswan’s remarks come amid increasing opposition demands for a nationwide caste census from the Centre.
Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said that approximately 90% of the population, despite having the required skills and talents, remains disconnected from the system, which is why there is a demand for a caste census.
“Ninety percent of the people are not part of the system. They have the required skill and talent but are not connected with the system. That’s why we are demanding a caste census. BJP leaders say that an OBC section will be provided after the caste census,” Gandhi said.
Meanwhile, Union minister Giriraj Singh stated that a caste census is inevitable and will be conducted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the right time. Singh also questioned why Rahul Gandhi continues to demand a national caste census when the Congress government in Karnataka has yet to release the results of the state’s caste census.
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