BJP stands with caste count
Maintaining that it stands by its statement given in Parliament on caste census issue, the main Opposition BJP on Friday replied to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s letter asking party’s view on the issue. In the reply, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Ms Sushma Swaraj, has written, “The party reiterates that caste can be canvassed
in the ongoing census/NPR (national population register) exercise.” But the party has put onus of this demographic exercise on the government.
The BJP had openly supported the caste census during the Budget Session of Parliament. But when asked how should the exercise be done to keep the “integrity of the head count,” the BJP’s reply was “they (government) can use caste column wherever whenever necessary.”
The letter was sent after BJP’s core group took a decision on the issue on Friday.
Sources said party was compelled to support the issue despite objection by RSS as the party do not want to offend the OBC votebank. A section within the party are in favour of the issue despite the RSS asking them not to support this demographic exercise. The RSS infact, had even written a letter to the BJP claiming the issue goes against the Sangh’s “nationalistic” ideology. Deputy leader of the party in Lok Sabha, Mr Gopinath Munde is one of the staunch supporters of the caste based census who had supported the issue on the floor of the House.
The party however, accused the Congress that being the “principle party in the ruling alliance, its stand on the issue is vague.”
“Even the government has not come forward with its own view on the issue. We expected that Congress being the principle party in the ruling alliance should have come forward. But even their stand on the issue is vague,” said BJP national general secretary, Mr Ananth Kumar.
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