"Why Didn't They…": Chirag Paswan Slams Opposition's Caste Census Claims

New Delhi:

Union Minister and BJP ally Chirag Paswan has hit out at opposition parties, including Congress, for claiming credit for the Narendra Modi government’s decision to record caste data in the next Census. Mr Paswan, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries and chief of BJP ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas), told NDTV that the Opposition parties had their chance to get this done, but did not take it.

Asked if the announcement was linked to the upcoming Assembly polls in Bihar, where caste plays a major role, Mr Paswan said the Opposition was trying to create a narrative that the decision was taken just for the election. “A national-level census just for Bihar? If we were to do this, we would have done it before the Lok Sabha election. This was the need of the hour, it was much needed. BJP and its allies were working on it for the longest time,” he said.

Mr Paswan, who won five seats in Bihar in the general election last year and is now a key player in the state’s politics, said he has been quite vocal about demanding such a Census. “I have repeatedly said it is needed, we need to have that data with the government, when you formulate policies concerning the weaker sections of society, you need to have those numbers in hand, but we never did. Almost 100 years ago, in 1931, we had this. And since then, we don’t have any data. It was needed. This decision was taken only on the basis of the emotions of the majority of the people who wanted this to happen,” he said.

Hitting out at the Opposition parties claiming credit for pushing the government into taking this decision, he said, “I am surprised how everyone is running to take credit. Rahul (Gandhi), Lalu (Prasad Yadav), Akhilesh (Yadav), you had an opportunity. You could have done it when you were in power.”

Targeting Mr Gandhi, who has claimed a victory after the government’s announcement yesterday, Mr Paswan said, “Out of all, Rahul Gandhi will claim credit? For the longest time after independence, your party was in power. You had three Prime Ministers from your family. Why didn’t you do it? During Manmohan Singh’s time, a Group of Ministers was formed to take a decision on it. Why didn’t you do it then?”

Targeting Rastriya Janata Dal, his rival in Bihar, and Samajwadi Party, Mr Paswan said, “Laluji was CM of my state, Akhilesh ji, his father (Mulayam Singh Yadav) was CM, why didn’t they do a survey then? They are now running to take credit. They know they have always used this as a political weapon and now that weapon is gone.”

Asked about a 2021 reply by Nityanand Rai, then Minister of State (Home Affairs), in Parliament that the government had decided “not to enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in Census”, Mr Paswan replied, “This may be one of the thought processes, you grow, you mature and you have to respect emotions of people.”

He said each BJP MLA had supported the caste survey in Bihar and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also open to suggestions.

Mr Paswan was also asked about reservation in the private sector, a key demand of his father and party founder, late Ram Vilas Paswan. The government’s announcement yesterday has sparked a conversation on that count too.

In his response, Mr Paswan said, “Taking the right decision at the right time is how Prime Minister works.” He said his party advocates the need for reservation in the private sector. “But right now, the priority is to get this executed in time,” he said.