Nitish calls for caste-based census

‘I have already discarded SEZs in Bihar. Now for other industries, govt will only take land if farmers give willingly’

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wants the Centre to carry out a caste-based census. Though he is not saying why it is necessary, he claims it has been long due after a similar census was undertaken by the British in 1931. He also demanded the formation of a Judicial Services Commission and urged the Centre to consider it seriously.

While seeking a caste-based census, the Chief Minister urged the Centre to go ahead and take steps to allow OBC students to avail reservation from the current academic year. “A caste-based census will take time. It will not happen before 2012. Therefore, the Centre should move ahead and take steps so that OBC reservation is introduced from this academic year,” Kumar said.

Kumar urged the Prime Minister to convene an all-party meet and seek advice so that effective steps could be taken to clear hurdles in the path of reservation for OBC students.

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Asked about economic criteria being introduced for reservation, Kumar sounded discouraging and said it would be against the Constitution. “The Constitution favours reservation for the socially and educationally backward, not economically backward,” he said.

Replying to a question about land acquisition, the CM said his government will not force farmers to give their land for industries. “I have already discarded SEZs in Bihar. Now for other industries like sugar mills, the government will only take land if farmers give willingly,” he said. He added that industry was needed for tackling the problem of unemployment and increasing GDP.