Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to head 11-member delegation at meeting with PM on caste census
Patna, Aug 21: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday disclosed he would be heading an 11-member delegation, comprising one representative each from political parties in the state, at the forthcoming meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of a caste census.
Talking to reporters here upon return from a survey of flood-hit areas of Samastipur district, Kumar also said he would be leaving for New Delhi on Sunday night.
The meeting is scheduled in the first half of Monday. Those who will be joining him include leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav.
He also sought to make light of queries about the BJP, his alliance partner, choosing a Dalit minister to join the delegation though both his deputies seemed to fit the bill as they belong to the backward classes.
It is not an issue. Every party could nominate one person who also happens to be a member of either House of the legislature. So all parties sent names accordingly. Besides me there would be 10 delegates, all representing their respective parties , Kumar said when asked about the saffron party picking up Janak Ram as a member of the delegation.
This has led to murmurs within both the ruling NDA and the opposition Grand Alliance since Deputy CMs Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi, the latter holding the backward classes welfare portfolio, were being viewed as a more viable choice.
The demand for a caste census was triggered by a statement by the Centre in Parliament last month that populations of only SCs and STs were proposed to be enumerated.
In states like Bihar, where OBCs have dominated politics since the Mandal era, this has led to a vociferous demand for a headcount of backward classes as well.
Kumar reiterated that there is a countrywide sentiment in favour of a caste census being conducted at least once. There should be no misgivings as such an exercise will be beneficial for all social groups .
The chief minister had sought an appointment with the PM after a request to the effect was made by leaders of the Grand Alliance, who pointed out that the state legislature has twice passed unanimous resolutions in favour of a caste census.
Notably, on both occasions, all MLAs of the BJP had also voted in favour. However, the state unit of the party seems to be in a quandary of late with the top leadership having adopted a different stance.
The chief minister was also asked whether his government was prepared to conduct a state-specific exercise in the event of the demand getting a cold shoulder from the Centre.
We shall decide when the time comes. Let us first see what transpires at the meeting with the PM," Kumar quipped.
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Kharge speaks with CPI's D Raja, seeks support for TVK
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has spoken with CPI general secretary D Raja and urged his party to support the TVK for the formation of a secular government in Tamil Nadu, sources said on Friday.
Sources said Kharge called Raja on Thursday to emphasise that the CPI should take an early decision so that the BJP does not get a chance to try and grab power through the backdoor.
Raja is understood to have said that CPI will consult its local allies, including the DMK, and decide on it soon.
The Congress, a long-time ally of the DMK, on Wednesday announced its support to actor-politician Vijay's TVK to form the government in Tamil Nadu and severed ties with the Dravidian major.
The DMK dubbed the act of Congress to snap ties with it and join forces with TVK as "backstabbing."
The TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly in the April 23 polls. Though the Congress, which has five MLAs, has extended support to the TVK, the actor-politician-led party is still short of as many seats to touch 118, the majority mark.
The CPI executive committee, which met here on Friday over support to the TVK, is involved in weighing the pros and cons, the party said.
The Communist Party of India is keen on safeguarding its ideology and ensuring that a common minimum programme is followed in case the party decides to back the TVK, a source in the party said.
The CPI won two seats in the April 23 Assembly election in alliance with the DMK.
Earlier, CPI general secretary D Raja told PTI Videos that the party was keen on keeping the right wing away from the state.
"We will come to some conclusion and we want a stable government that will work in the interest of the state, keep away communal right-wing forces and uphold secular democratic values," Raja said, adding, the party's position would be clear by the evening
