Ranchi: All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), an ally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has demanded a caste-based census in the state even as the Bharatiya Janata Party has taken a strong stand against such an exercise.
The demand was raised at a meeting of the top leadership of the AJSU at Ranchi on Sunday.
“AJSU party has been very vocal in the favour of caste-based census in Jharkhand right from the beginning. We demand that the Jharkhand government should conduct a caste-based census on its own expenditure so that people can get social justice on the size of their population,” AJSU MLA Lambodar Mahato was quoted as saying by ANI.
A nationwide caste census is a key agenda of the opposition INDIA bloc, which believes it will help the alliance in the forthcoming elections in the Hindi heartland where caste politics plays a key role.
The Bihar government recently released the report of its caste survey while the Rajasthan government has issued an order for the conduct of such a survey in the state.
Rajasthan will be the second state in the country to conduct a caste survey after Bihar. The assembly polls in Rajasthan are due later this year and the election schedule is expected to be announced anytime soon.
Several NDA allies which are largely led by one or other non-dominant OBC groups, including Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, Nishad Party, Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Hindustani Awam Morcha Secular, have demanded a national-level caste survey.
🌐 Stay Connected with Avenue Mail
Get the latest news and breaking updates delivered instantly to your feed.
🟢Join our WhatsApp Group: Click here to join
🔵Follow us on Facebook: Click here to follow
📢 Avenue Mail: Your trusted source for real-time news.
