Tejashwi Yadav reaches out to non-BJP leaders on caste census
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday reached out to non-BJP leaders across the country seeking their support on the issue of caste census for backward classes, which has received a cold shoulder from the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. Yadav shot off letters to politicians as diverse as Nitish Kumar, Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, and Arvind Kejriwal.
Yadav addressed the letter to a total of 33 recipients
He reached out after the Union government told the Supreme Court that it had taken a conscious policy decision to not undertake enumeration of OBCs and EBCs. In the letter addressed to a total of 33 recipients, Yadav said it bears repeating for a brazenly callous government that the caste system has been a great source of disadvantage for a large section of population.
Centre has agreed for headcount of only SCs and STs
The Centre has agreed for a headcount of only the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, much to the chagrin of the numerically powerful OBCs who have dominated politics in the Hindi belt, particularly Bihar, since the 1990s. Yadav said in his letter, "We need to join our hands and push the government of the day on the issue of caste census."
Non-BJP CMs who have been marked a copy of letter
All non-BJP Chief Ministers, including Uddhav Thackeray, MK Stalin, Naveen Patnaik, K Chandrasekhar Rao, and Jaganmohan Reddy have been marked a copy of the letter. Besides, heads of political parties not aligned with the NDA, including Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Parkash Singh Badal, and Sitaram Yechury have also been marked a copy of the letter.
NDA's alliance partners in Bihar also figure in the list
The NDA's (National Democratic Alliance) alliance partners in Bihar, including Kumar, Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi and Vikassheel Insaan Party president Mukesh Sahni also figure in the list. So does LJP's ( Lok Janshakti Party) Chirag Paswan, though interestingly, his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras who heads a rival faction of the party and is a Union minister is not among the recipients.
Open to suggestions to immediately prepare plan of action: Yadav
Similarly, Akhtarul Iman, state president of the AIMIM, has been sent the letter but not the party chief Asaduddin Owaisi who claims to be equidistant from the BJP and mainstream secular parties like the Congress and its allies, including RJD. I am open to suggestions so that we immediately prepare our plan of action in this regard without any further delay, said Yadav.
