Re-elected as LJP (Ram Vilas) chief, Chirag Paswan pitches for caste census

Union minister Chirag Paswan, who was on Sunday (August 25) re-elected as Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president for five years, has pitched for a nationwide caste census.

However, Chirag, the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, cautioned against making the caste census figures public as it will create a "rift" in society.

"We have always emphasised that we want the caste census to be conducted... It will ensure that the government has correct numbers. However, I do not want the figures of the census to come out in public. That may create a rift," said the minister, whose late father Ram Vilas Paswan was among the tallest Dalit leaders of the country.

Motion of  thanks

He also said a special resolution was passed at the party's national executive meeting, where he was re-elected, to extend a motion of thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his welfare initiatives and work towards the SC-ST community.

Commenting on the creamy layer in SC community, he said: "We have been opposed to it since they are not just victims of social and educational backwardness, but even untouchability".

Chirag said even after so many years of Independence, Dalit grooms are prevented from riding a horse during weddings, and "I even learnt about an IPS officer seeking security for his marriage".

"Even today, we hear that members of the Dalit community cannot enter temples... The observation of the Supreme Court did not have any mention of untouchability. The PM has also said that as per constitutional norms, the provisions for SCs would continue," he said.

Creamy layer ruling

Earlier this month, a seven-judge bench of the apex court led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud ruled in a 6:1 majority judgement that state governments were permitted to sub-classify communities within the SC list based on empirical data.

Supreme Court judge Justice B R Gavai had said that states must evolve a policy for identifying the creamy layer even among the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Schedule Tribes (ST) and deny them the benefit of reservation.

Lateral entry debated

On the issue of lateral entry into bureaucracy, Paswan said the Modi government at the Centre has reaffirmed its "commitment towards SCs, STs and OBCs" by asking the UPSC to withdraw the advertisement for lateral entry “after we raised concerns over it”.

Asked about the Waqf Bill issue, he said the proposed piece of legislation has been sent to Parliament's Joint Committee, which will enable all the stakeholders to raise their concerns.

Attacking the Congress for its alliance with the National Conference for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, Paswan said it should clear the stance on the scrapping of Article 370, which the NC wants to restore. 

Upcoming elections

At the national executive meeting, the LJP (Ram Vilas) also discussed the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana, Jammu Kashmir and Jharkhand, said Chirag. In Jharkhand, the party may contest the polls either with national alliance partner BJP or on its own, he said.

"We have taken suggestions from the state units whether they want to contest the elections in alliance or alone in states where our organisation is strong... At the national level, we have an alliance with the BJP and we are a strong coalition partner of the NDA.

“In the 2014 elections, we had a tie-up with the BJP for Vidhan Sabha polls in Jharkhand and contested the Shikaripara seat. If there is a respectable seat-sharing, we may go with an alliance or else we can go alone in the polls," he added.

Chirag also said “discontent was brewing among people” in Jharkhand against the Hemant Soren government, and that the NDA is certain to bounce back to power in the state.

Assembly polls are due in Jharkhand later this year.

With agency inputs