The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury on October 9 stressed that BJP was unable to digest the reality of the caste survey conducted by Bihar government.
Mr Yechury was on way to Samastipur and Darbhanga to address party functionaries.
Also read: The impact of the Bihar caste survey | Explained
“If it [the BJP] was so much concerned about backward classes, why has it not conducted caste census yet? It has been in power for nine years in the country”, he questioned, speaking to media persons in Patna, on the way to Samastipur and Darbhanga to address party functionaries. He was asked to comment on BJP leaders slamming the caste survey, claiming it had not been done properly and was presented in a manner that “suits the ruling grand alliance government of the State”.
However, the voice of dissent on the caste survey has come up from the ruling coalition Mahagathbandhan leaders as well. Recently, Janata Dal (United) MP from Sitamarhi, Sunil Kumar Pintu, and Rashtriya Janata Dal MLC and the party’s Extremely Backward Class president, Rambali Singh Chandravanshi, had questioned the “manipulation” in the survey.
Earlier, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan and Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal president Upendra Kushwaha claimed the “numbers were fudged” and demanded a fresh caste survey be conducted.
Rubbishing the charge that caste survey has anomalies, Mr. Yechury sought to know why the Narendra Modi government “failed to conduct a nationwide caste census in its nine years of power?”. “We believe the State government has conducted the exercise (caste survey) with full responsibility. We have always been in favour of the caste survey,” he asserted.
On the recent arrest of Aam Admi Party leader and Rajya Sbha member Sanjay Singh, Mr. Yechury said, “Mr. Singh’s arrest is tantamount to the brazen misuse of investigating agencies like Enforcement Directorate. And, moreover, ED has an abysmally low conviction rate of less than 0.1%. More than 5,000 cases have been filed but convictions were in only 23 of them.”
