'Caste-Based Survey, Not Census': Bihar Dy CM Tejashwi Says Nitish Govt Will Also Hold Economic Survey

Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav advocates "caste-based survey" for data-driven insights, emphasises addressing poverty and resource allocation based on economic conditions.

File Photo Of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav

Source : Getty

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday (August 24) expressed his stance on the issue of caste-based census, advocating for a comprehensive "caste-based survey" to gather scientific data and economic insights. In a video posted on X (formerly known as X) by news agency ANI, he highlighted the necessity of understanding economic conditions to effectively address poverty and allocate resources.

Addressing the concern, Tejashwi remarked, "We don't want a 'caste census', it is a 'caste-based survey'. The caste census is the union government's right as per the constitution. This will give us the numbers, and we will get scientific data. And we will also do an economic survey. Because what we believe is that people are poor in every section. We will come up with schemes after we know where the poverty is and benefit them. How can we decide whom to get a reservation if we don't know the economic conditions?"

#WATCH | Delhi: On caste-based census, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav says, "We struggled from the road to assembly for this. When I was the opposition leader, we gave a proposal in the Vidhan Sabha that he should keep people of all parties together and speak to the… pic.twitter.com/UUydAGjWN2

— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2023

Bihar Sets An Example In Providing Government Jobs: Tejashwi Yadav

Tejashwi Yadav also discussed Bihar's accomplishments in the realm of government employment. He stated, "In 2020, our main agenda was unemployment and we said that 10 lakh people will get government jobs. Even PM Modi repeated the similar thing in his August 15 speech. We have been announcing vacancies since our government was formed. We have announced around 5 lakh government jobs in the state."

#WATCH | Delhi: On job opportunities in Bihar, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav says, "In 2020, our main agenda was unemployment and we said that 10 lakh people will get government jobs. We have been announcing vacancies since our government was formed. We have announced… pic.twitter.com/VUSG8BRb9h

— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2023

"Earlier, 70,000 policemen joined the force. Recently, 1,75,000 jobs were announced for teachers. After a few days, we are going to bring public health policy, after which around 1.4 to 1.5 lakh jobs in the health sector would be announced. Bihar has become a model for government jobs. PM started distributing appointment letters after us. The good thing is that the agenda we came up with is being discussed today. We will give 10 lakh government jobs in the coming time during this tenure... No state has announced jobs in such huge numbers. This should be appreciated," he added. 

Earlier in the day, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister visited Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari at his residence in Delhi and discussed several road projects in his state. Following his meeting, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader praised senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.

"I believe Nitin Gadkari is very optimistic about development. We discussed accelerating projects in Bihar that have been on hold for the last 11-12 years," Tejashwi Yadav told reporters.

#WATCH | Delhi: On meeting with Union Road Transport & Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav says, "I think Nitin Gadkari is very positive regarding development. We spoke about speeding up the projects in Bihar that were on hold for the last 11-12 years.… pic.twitter.com/Q8gRNYkyzT

— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2023

Tejashwi also shared photos from his meeting with Gadkri on his official X account. 

आज केंद्रीय सड़क परिवहन एवं राजमार्ग मंत्री श्री नितिन गडकरी जी से बिहार की सड़क परियोजनाओं के संबंध में सकारात्मक वार्ता हुई।

बैठक में बक्सर से भागलपुर तक Expressway, गंगा पर जेपी सेतु के समानांतर पुल, पटना से कोइलवर एवं अनीसाबाद से दीदारगंज के बीच एलिवेटेड कॉरिडोर के निर्माण… pic.twitter.com/OlamYNpW0z

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) August 24, 2023

Yadav arrived in New Delhi with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The meeting is seen as part of the Opposition parties' ongoing efforts to forge a united front against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha elections next year.