Ahead of the parliamentary elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2022, Apna Dal (S) is the second political party to be allied with the BJP are calling for a box-based census in India. In addition, the party is pushing for a separate union ministry dedicated to the welfare of the population of the other backward classes.
“The box-based census is the order of the day to get the exact population of each segment, especially the other backward classes (OBC),” said Ashish Patel, Labor President of Apna Dal (S), in a PTI report.
Earlier, Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stated that he would ask the center to conduct a box-based census as part of the 2021 delayed census.
The demand of the Uttar Pradesh based company Apna Dal (S) is substantial as the members of the OBC community make up the bulk of the electorate in Uttar Pradesh.
“NOT A CORRECT ESTIMATE OF OBC POPULATION”: ASHISH PATEL
Ashish Patel, husband of Union Minister Anupriya Patel, pointed out that the SC and ST populations in India have been calculated at every census since independence, but this has not been done for OBCs.
“As a result, there is no correct estimate of the OBC population [caste census] would ensure a particular caste segment’s proportion is based on its population, “said Ashish Patel.
When asked for a separate ministry, he said: “There should be a separate and dedicated ministry for the welfare of OBCs modeled on the Union ministry for minority affairs.”
Apna Dal (S) has been a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance since 2014. Anupriya Patel, daughter of the late party founder Sonelal Patel, became Union Minister when Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently expanded his Council of Ministers.
Anupriya Patel comes from the Kurmi caste, which falls under the OBC category. The Apna Dal (S) party has influence in around 50 constituencies, especially in the east of Uttar Pradesh.
DEMAND FOR BOX-BASED CENSUS
In April the National Commission on Backward Classes urged the government to collect data on the population of OBCs as part of the 2021 census.
However, Interior Minister Nityanand Rai said that when India gained independence, it decided not to enumerate any caste population other than the SCs and STs.
In the census, only castes and tribes are enumerated that were expressly reported as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes according to the Constitutional Order (Scheduled Castes) 1950 and the Constitutional Order (Scheduled Tribes) 1950.
On Saturday, Rashtriya Janata Dal party workers protested across Bihar to request a box-based census in the country.
The 2021 census was supposed to start in April last year. However, this couldn’t happen due to the pandemic.
(With entries from PTI)
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