“We Will Oppose Caste Census In Odisha Assembly”: BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]: Leader of Opposition in Odisha Legislative Assembly and BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra on Monday said his party would oppose the idea of caste census in the state Assembly. He alleged that caste census was being done to divide Hindu votes.

“In Odisha, there is no concern of caste census unlike Bihar. We are against caste census. We are opposing it. It is being done to divide Hindu votes. If this rule is followed in Bihar then there will be no majority as there are so many sub-divisions like the Kurmi, Yadav, Brahmins etc. Caste census should be done only for direct benefit like money transfer,” said Jayanarayan Mishra.

Speaking on the 2024 Vidhan Sabha elections, Mishra said the CM Naveen Patnaik-led state government has failed the people of the state, and the BJP in the upcoming election will bring 147 seats.

He said, “Odisha government had failed in agriculture, education and health. Odisha is rank 1 in poverty and despite so much of available land and forest farmers are earning the least. People have to travel to other states in search of jobs. The government had promised 33 per cent irrigation but at present it is not even 20 per cent.”

Earlier Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) unanimously supported the idea of a caste census in the country and called it a “progressive and powerful step.” He further said that Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan believe that it is a very important step.

The report of the caste-based survey conducted in Bihar was released on October 2 by the Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan government. The Congress is an ally of the government in Bihar.