Last Update: May 18, 2023, 23:46 IST
The decision to conduct the caste survey was taken in June last year by the then NDA government of Bihar headed by Nitish Kumar. (Image: PTI/File)
The caste survey in Bihar will remain suspended as the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stay the interim order of the Patna High Court, saying it has to probe whether the state government is conducting the census in the garb of the survey.
After the Supreme Court refused to stay the Patna High Court’s order banning the caste survey in Bihar, the BJP called it a setback for the Nitish Kumar-led Grand Alliance government and demanded that it meet to discuss the matter. Call an all-party meeting.
The ruling JD(U), however, insisted that the BJP wanted to politicize the issue as the decision to conduct the caste survey was taken after holding an all-party meeting and passing a resolution in the state assembly.
The caste survey in Bihar will remain suspended as the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stay the interim order of the Patna High Court, saying it has to probe whether the state government is conducting the census in the garb of the survey.
“This is a new setback for the Nitish Kumar government. The Grand Alliance government has already complicated the matter as it did not present its stand properly before the Patna High Court, due to which the stay was imposed,” said senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi.
The decision to conduct the caste survey was taken in June last year by the then NDA government of Bihar headed by Nitish Kumar. The JD(U) leader later quit the BJP and formed a grand alliance government with the RJD, Congress and others.
“The state government should call an all-party meeting to discuss the issue. If necessary, a special session of the assembly should be called. With the intention of taking credit for the caste survey, Nitish Kumar neither discussed the matter with the opposition party nor called an all-party meeting before starting the process,” Modi said.
Reacting to Modi’s statement, JDU’s chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar claimed that the BJP leader was trying to politicize the issue.
“It is a well-known fact that the BJP is against reservation for the economically and socially backward. They are also against caste survey,” he said in a video statement.
Neeraj Kumar, however, did not comment on the apex court’s order.
The first round of caste survey in Bihar was conducted between January 7 and 21. The second round began on 15 April and was scheduled to continue till 15 May.
