PM Shouldn’t Backtrack on Assurance of Caste-based Census: Mulayam

Reiterating his demand of caste-based census, the SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has said that the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should not go back on his assurance to the Parliament on the matter, said media reports.

Talking to reporters in Lucknow, Yadav said that anti-Mandal forces in the Union Cabinet are putting obstruction in the matter, reports said.

He stressed that caste-based census was needed so that reservation policy could be properly implemented and that almost all other parties, including a section in the congress, favoured the demand, said reports.

“Even in the Union Cabinet there was support to the demand”, Yadav was quoted as saying.

He described the formation of Group of Ministers (GOM) to look into the matter as meaningless saying it would not serve any purpose, reports said.

He said that there are 17 castes in UP which had no recognition and are completely neglected lot, said reports.

“I am not asking for Yadav or Kurmis but for those who could not so far get social justice,” Yadav was quoted as saying.

The SP chief said that the Prime Minister should not backtrack after assuring the Lok Sabha of caste-based census.

He contended that the the exercise neither would have any additional burden on the exchequer nor any other extra work and only a column would be filled up, reports said.

The Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid also told newsmen on Thursday that he was in favour of caste based census as it would help the Muslim community.

(Based on internet reports)