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SP’s manifesto promises caste census, MSP on crops

He further said that if voted to power, the party would provide MSP on all crops under the Swaminathan formula.”We have named our vision document as ‘Janta Ka Maang Patra – Humara Adhikar’...reports Asian Lite News

With only few days left for the Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday released the party’s manifesto, promising a caste-based census by 2025.The party’s 20-page vision document titled ‘Hamara Adhikar’, released at the SP headquarters here in the presence of senior party leaders, also promises to end the Agnipath scheme and introduce regular recruitment in the armed forces.Addressing a press conference here, Akhilesh Yadav said that by 2025, all government vacancies of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes will be filled.

He further said that if voted to power, the party would provide MSP on all crops under the Swaminathan formula.”We have named our vision document as ‘Janta Ka Maang Patra – Humara Adhikar’. The main demands in this vision document are – the right to protect the constitution, the right to protect democracy, the right to freedom of media, and the right to social justice… the right to social justice is needed for the development of the country. Inclusive development isn’t possible without the caste census.

Caste census is the axis of development of the country,” Yadav said.The party also promised that the SP would end the Agnipath scheme and introduce regular recruitment in the armed forces.”…The vision document says – the caste census shouldn’t be delayed. We will conduct a caste census by 2025, and based on that, justice and participation for all will be ensured by 2029. Legal guarantee to MSP to the farmers on all crops and that too is to be calculated based on the Swaminathan formula. Old Pension Scheme (OPS) will be launched for everyone including paramilitary personnel. Agniveer policy will be put to an end and again the regular recruitments will be done in the armed forces,” the SP supremo said.The SP and the Congress, both members of the opposition INDIA bloc, are fighting the polls in Uttar Pradesh as allies. (ANI)

BJP releases 10th list of candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday released its 10th list of 9 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, fielding party’s Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Shekhar from Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia.

Neeraj Shekhar, the son of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, was a Lok Sabha MP from 2007 to 2014, representing SP from Ballia, the constituency earlier held by his father. In 2014, Shekhar lost the polls to his BJP rival and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

He was not fielded by the SP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections after that, he quit the SP and joined the BJP which sent him to the Upper House of Parliament.

The BJP has named Paras Nath Rai from Ghazipur who will take on Afzal Ansari, a candidate of the Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance.

The list which was released on Wednesday had eight new names, while the party replaced its candidate from West Bengal’s Asansol.

The party, earlier fielded Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh from Asansol, who has now been replaced by sitting BJP MP SS Ahluwalia.

BJP has fielded Sanjay Tandon from Chandigarh, while B.P. Saroj has been given a ticket from Machhlishahr.

Jaiveer Singh Thakur will contest from Mainpuri, a Samajwadi Party’s bastion. The SP re-nominated Dimple Yadav from the seat.

Vinod Sonkar will fight from Kaushambi while Praveen Patel will contest the elections from the Phulpur seat.

Neeraj Tripathi has been fielded from Prayagraj.

The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19.

Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election.

The counting of votes will take place on June 4. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 303 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 52 seats.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 282 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 44 seats. (ANI)

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Bihar committed to conduct caste-based Census: Nitish Kumar

Earlier, leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav had blamed Nitish Kumar for deliberately delaying the caste-based Census in the state…reports Asian Lite News

The Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, said on Monday that the state government is committed to conduct caste-based Census in Bihar.

Interacting with mediapersons here after the Janta Darbar, Nitish Kumar claimed that the proceedings pertaining to caste-based Census are going in the right direction.

“We will soon hold an all-party meeting on this issue. The talks with leaders of different parties are currently underway. The Centre has already allowed state governments to conduct caste-based Census in their respective states, and we will soon start the process in Bihar,” Kumar said.

“So many government projects have got delayed due to the Covid 19 pandemic. But now the situation has improved, hence we will speed up the pending government programmes,” Kumar said.

Earlier, leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav had blamed Nitish Kumar for deliberately delaying the caste-based Census in the state.

“The caste-based Census was passed twice in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha. Some BJP leaders were also present. Then what is the need for an all party meeting? You (Nitish Kumar) are not serious about conducting caste-based Census in the state, hence you are making excuses,” Tejashwi Yadav said.

Muslim women shout slogans during a protest against banning Muslim girls wearing hijab from attending classes at some schools in Karnataka, in Kolkata, on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022.(Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)

‘Hijab not an issue’

Amid the ongoing hijab controversy in Karnataka, Nitish Kumar on Monday said that he respects every religion and their rituals of worshipping.

“If anyone wears a scarf on the head or sandalwood mark on the forehead, I believe it is not a controversial subject. Every person has a right to wear whatever they want. We have no interference. You never witness any single incident of such controversy in Bihar. It cannot be an issue of discussion,” he said.

After the hijab row rose in Karnataka and saw tension and charged statements, Janata Dal-United’s Parliamentary Board President Upendra Kushwaha termed as “traitor”, Karnataka Minister K.S. Eshwarappa who had said that the saffron flag could become the national flag after 100, 200 or 500 years in the country.

“The leaders of BJP insulting Samrat Ashoka, are now campaigning for demolishing our national flag. How could our country tolerate it?”

“I am urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister BS Bommai to take appropriate action against traitors like Ishwarappa,” Kushwaha said in a tweet.

RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav, while reacting to the Hijab controversy, said that the country is heading toward civil war and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP are responsible for it.

“… PM Narendra Modi does not talk on inflation, unemployment, poverty and other issues. He always talks about temple-mosque, riots and religions. The people of the country are tired of the propaganda of BJP and Narendra Modi,” he said.

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Politics on caste census heats up as parties step up pressure

Not only the JDU, other political parties such as the RJD, the Samajwadi Party and the DMK are also demanding caste-based census….reports Asian Lite News

Politics on the caste census has escalated after the regional parties demanded that caste should be included in the census. Even the BJP ally, Janata Dal United is also pushing for the caste-based census in the country.

Shakiluzzaman Ansari, former OBC commission member said, “The country should know what is the population of the OBC in the country and what is their social status so that welfare schemes may be diverted towards that particular community.”

Though Nitish is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but he said last week during his visit to Delhi, “Our job is to put forth our views, it is up to the Centre to do or not to do the caste census, and I do not think that one caste will like and another will not. It is in everyone’s interest.”

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav talks to the media

He further said that this will not bring any rift or tension in the society. There will be happiness. People will be benefited from the schemes, and such a census “happened under British rule too.”

Not only the JDU, other political parties such as the RJD, the Samajwadi Party and the DMK are also demanding caste-based census. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had raised the issue of the caste census and had even met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has also supported the demand for the caste-based census in the country.

Ansari alleges that, “The UPA government after direction from the OBC commission did a caste survey but data analysis was not published by the NDA government citing errors.”

In 2011, Socio Economic and Caste Census conducted by the Registrar General of India had come out with 46,73,034 categories of caste, sub-caste, but in July 2015, the Government of India stated that errors were found and some of them have been rectified since then.

The first caste census was conducted in India in 1881 after Britishers took over India and the last census based on caste was carried out in 1931.

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