Nitish Kumar raised issue of caste census, Rahul kept mum: JD(U)
New Delhi: The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday accused Rahul Gandhi of hypocrisy on the issue of caste census, charging him with maintaining silence when Bihar CM Nitish Kumar raised the matter in INDIA bloc meetings.
The party also asked why the Congress government in Karnataka has not released the state's caste data.
JD(U) working president and MP Sanjay Jha's attack on the Congress leader came a day after Gandhi slammed the caste survey carried out by the Kumar-led government as a fake exercise at an event in Patna, while pitching for a nationwide caste census.
Speaking to PTI, Jha said, "There cannot be a bigger hypocrisy than this. I was a witness to Gandhi maintaining silence while Kumar strongly and logically spoke in favour of caste census at INDIA bloc meetings in several places."
Kumar-led JD(U) was part of the INDIA bloc before he snapped ties with the opposition alliance and joined hands with the BJP.
Incidentally, Bihar's caste survey was carried out and its findings released when the Congress was a partner in the government led by Kumar.
Jha said Kumar was the only leader who raised the issue of caste census, and all INDIA bloc members were a witness.
Defending the caste survey in Bihar, he said Kumar is the only leader since 1931, when a nationwide caste census was held last, who decided to count the population of different castes in a scientific manner to further social justice.
Taking a swipe at Gandhi, he said the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha should be more specific and tell people if he believes that the Bihar's caste survey has overcounted some communities and undercounted some others.
He should not instead skirt the issue, Jha said, adding that Kumar has used the figures to expand the scope of reservation though the issue is currently sub-judice.
Slamming the Congress, he said its government in Karnataka has been sitting over the caste-wise population data in the state for several years.
Why does Gandhi not get it released, he asked.
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
