Prominent leader from Nitish Kumar’s JD-U, KC Tyagi said on Thursday although his party has given unconditional support to the BJP to form the NDA government at the Centre, they will pursue a nationwide caste census.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Tyagi said that no party has opposed the caste-based survey, a key promise made by the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during polls, and that it is the call of the hour.
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“No party in the country has said no to caste-based census. Bihar has shown the path. The PM too didn’t oppose it in the all-party delegation. Caste-based census is the call of the hour. We will pursue it,” Tyagi said.
The caste census was conducted by the JD(U)-RJD-Congress government in Bihar when Nitish Kumar was the chief minister of the state during the grand alliance rule.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi never directly said no to the caste census, he did attack Rahul Gandhi and Opposition parties, accusing them of trying to divide the country on the caste lines.
Asserting that there is no pre-condition, Tyagi said that the long-standing demand of special status to Bihar is in their heart.
“There is no pre-condition. There is unconditional support. But Bihar being given the special status is something which we have in our heart…,” Tyagi said.
Tyagi further said that the controversial Agniveer scheme in Army recruitment should be reconsidered.
“Certain voters are dissatisfied with aspects of the scheme. Our party seeks thorough discussions to address public concerns and rectify any shortcomings,” he said.
The JDU leader also mentioned the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), a key BJP promise, and said that while the JDU is not opposed to the UCC, there should be consensus through dialogue with all stakeholders.
“As the national president, the CM wrote to the Law Commission chief. We are not opposed to the UCC, but believe in seeking consensus through dialogue with all stakeholders,” he added.
Nitish Kumar’s JD-U, along with Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP emerged as the potential “kingmakers” after the BJP fell short of majority in the Lok Sabha elections.
While Modi is all set to take oath as PM for the third consecutive term, his five years in the office will be dependent on smaller allies, especially the JD-U and the TDP.
