Jamshedpur (Jharkhand): Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi on Tuesday asserted that the opposition's demand for a countrywide caste census will not have any impact on the saffron party's prospects in the Lok Sabha polls and state assembly elections, both due next year.
Asserting that the BJP will perform better in Jharkhand in both Lok Sabha and assembly polls than in 2019, the former chief minister said the saffron party will provide a corruption-free government, improve the law and order situation, implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and ensure all-round development if voted to power in the state.
Marandi, who was on a visit to Jamshedpur as part of 'Sankalp Yatra', said, "We have caste-based reservations across the country. Also, political parties practice the policy of nominating a candidate of a particular caste that is in majority in a constituency as per party-wide surveys." "Hence, I don't think their (opposition) demand for a countrywide caste census will have any impact on the BJP's poll prospects in Lok Sabha and Jharkhand Assembly elections," Marandi told PTI.
He said that over 27 per cent of the MPs, MLAs and ministers of the BJP are from ST, SC and OBC communities, while eight ministers in the Union cabinet are from these categories, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself hails from the OBC category.
"The demand for caste census was solely made to benefit the families of some political parties," he alleged.
On the assembly polls due later next year, he asserted that the BJP will perform well as people have "made up their minds to get rid of the JMM-Congress-RJD government in the state".
He alleged that the Soren government has failed to curb incidents of rape and murder, "which occur on a daily basis".
"We will provide corruption-free government, improve law and order situation and ensure all-round development of the state," Marandi said.
On alleged illegal infiltration in Santhal Pargana region of the state, he said, "If voted to power, we will implement NRC first in Santhal Pargana, where demography is changing fast. We will find out from where these infiltrators come from, identify those creating law and order problems and who patronise them."
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