Caste-based census: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to meet PM Narendra Modi on August 23

New Delhi: ​​Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to discuss the caste-based census. "I had sought an appointment with the PM to meet him along with a delegation from Bihar to conduct the caste-based census. Many thanks to the respected Prime Minister for giving time to meet on August 23," Nitish Kumar said in an official statement.

Nitish’s Janata Dal (United) is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar and favours a caste-based census. The state Chief Minister has been advocating for a caste-based census in the country and had thus sought an appointment with the Prime Minister.

"The demand of the caste census is not just the demand from Bihar but other states also. Our party MPs had written a letter seeking time to meet the Prime Minister. The opposition parties in Bihar also wanted to meet the Prime Minister with us. We had written a letter to the Prime Minister regarding this," he had said on Monday. 

The caste-based census and its impact on the country`s political landscape remain a sensitive issue for the government, given the fact that seven states will go for assembly polls over the next year. 

Nitish said a resolution regarding the caste-based census was passed unanimously in Bihar Legislative Assembly as well as the Legislative Council in 2019. A resolution was passed unanimously once again in 2020 in the state Legislative Assembly.