BJP trying to divert attention from caste-based survey, says RJD

Patna May 9 (IANS) In wake of the the Patna High Court on Tuesday rejecting the plea of Bihar government pertaining to caste-based census, RJD state General Secretary Ranvijay Sahu accused the opposition BJP of trying to divert the attention from it.

"We respect the proceedings and judgment of the court but BJP wants to divert the attention from the caste-based survey. BJP leaders were celebrating on the day when Patna High Court put an interim stay on May 4 and they are celebrating now," Sahu said.

"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is thinking of counting poor people of the state to make policies. It was a great initiative of the Bihar government to implement the ideology of Ram Manohar Lohia who advocated for stake on the basis of the number of the caste and community. Hence, counting of caste was important," he said.

"The BJP is a party that believes in spreading rumours. It is trying to divide the society on the basis of temples and mosques. On the other hand, we are talking about jobs, education, and health," Sahu added.

After the High Court had put an interim stay on May 4, the Bihar government filed a plea for the hearing of the case on May 6. Accordingly, the court has given the date of hearing on May 9.

Advocate General Prashant Kumar Shahi appeared before the court and requested for a speedy hearing in this case. The court, however, was not satisfied with his arguments of Shahi and declined his plea, saying that the next hearing is scheduled on July 3 and that is final.

"The Bihar government failed to put its points before the court on Tuesday. That is the reason why the court has rejected the plea of Bihar government. It is not looking serious. CM Nitish Kumar failed to produce evidence in the court through his lawyer. It shows his dual character. He does not want to conduct caste-based surveys. He is doing picnics in Odisha, West Bengal, Lucknow and Delhi," state BJP spokesperson Arvind Kumar Singh said.