Patna, Aug 02: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that the option of conducting a caste based census is open, he added that this could be done using the state government’s own resources in case the centre is reluctant in carrying out a caste based census. He added that a request for conducting a caste based census has been made to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Kumar told media persons here that a delegation of opposition parties had called on him recently and requested to seek appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a discussion to urge him to order for conducting caste based census. He said that as per a request by opposition parties, he would write a letter to Prime Minister Modi today itself seeking an appointment to have a discussion on the issue. The Chief Minister while responding to a query on different stand taken by BJP on caste based census despite having supported a resolution, which was passed unanimously in Assembly, said that he did not feel that BJP is against caste census. It is well known that BJP had supported resolution in Assembly for caste based census, how could the party oppose it now, he asked. Mr Kumar said that some BJP leaders might be speaking on the line taken by the Centre on caste census recently, which was totally a different matter. There was no difficulty for BJP leaders to be part of a delegation which would call on Prime Minister Mr Modi to request for a caste based census, he felt. Kumar rejected the apprehension of caste tension in the event of a caste based census in Bihar, saying it would be beneficial to all sections of the society. “Apprehension of caste tension could be opinion of an individual but it was certainly not a general view,” he pointed out. Mr Kumar said that members of all castes and religions had supported the resolution for a caste based census in Bihar. Similarly, a delegation of opposition parties that had called on him to request for caste based census, also comprised of members of all castes and religions, he added.
