Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, leading an all-party delegation from the State, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday to demand caste-based census and handed over a memorandum for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The delegation included leaders of nine political parties including the principal Opposition party BJP and ally Congress.
“Along with members of the all-party delegation from Jharkhand, met Hon’ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji in Delhi and handed over our demand for a caste-based census. A caste-based census is the need of the hour,” Mr. Soren tweeted along with the photos of the meeting.
The memorandum was signed by all the members of the delegation.
The three-page document argued that the absence of caste specific data since Independence has created difficulties in providing special facilities to the backward classes.
“It is unfortunate that the government informed Parliament in writing that the proposed 2021 census will not include the data of the oppressed, neglected, deprived, backward and most backward classes. They have been backward for ages and the backward-most backward classes are not able to make the expected progress,” read the memorandum.
It said in the absence of caste census, “the educational, social, political and economic condition of the backward/most backward castes will not be assessed”.
“Neither proper policy related to their [backward classes] betterment and uplift will be made nor will their numbers be determined so that proportional Budget can be allotted.”
