Caste census will help NDA in Bihar: Upendra Kushwaha

New Delhi: The NDA will benefit from the government's announcement of a caste census, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) president Upendra Kushwaha claimed on Tuesday as he stressed that the alliance should focus on consolidating its votes in regions like Magadh and Shahabad.

Addressing a press conference here after scores of members of All India Kalwar Kalal Kalar Association including chief Rajiv Jaiswal joined the RLM, Kushwaha said that his defeat from the Karakat seat in the Lok Sabha polls last year was a loss for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which besides the RLM includes the Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas (LJP-RV) and the BJP.

He also reiterated his demand for delimitation, and said opposing it was opposing the Constitution. Without naming anyone, he said some chief ministers from southern states are asking people to increase population, which is against the national policy.

As the RLM is carrying out a campaign demanding delimitation, Kushwaha denied that it was a "show of strength" ahead of Bihar polls, and also refused to comment on seat sharing talks stating that it is an "internal matter" of the NDA.

"The campaign on delimitation should not be linked with seat sharing. It is a matter of coincidence that elections are coming," he said.

Asked about the Centre's announcement of holding a caste census along with the decennial census, Kushwaha said the credit for it will go to the NDA, and it is likely to help the alliance in the upcoming assembly polls in the state.

"The union government has already announced the caste census, the Centre will get the credit. Congress was in power for a long time, why did they not conduct a caste census? Lalu Yadav was a powerful minister at the Centre, he could have pressured the government to undertake it," he said.

"People in Bihar wanted a caste census. Keeping that in mind, the alliance or government that took a decision in its support will naturally gain sympathy from people... " he said.

The Rajya Sabha member, who had lost the Karakat seat in Bihar to Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation candidate Raja Ram Singh, said his loss was also a loss for the NDA, and stressed on consolidating the supporters in the area of Shahbad - where the Karakat seat falls, and Magadh region.

"If I would not have lost Karakat, we would have gained in the surrounding areas as well. We should be careful that this should not get repeated, and future strategy is made based on past experience," he said.

"If Upendra Kushwaha lost, NDA also lost," he said.

"The area of Shahabad and Magadh, the results in Lok Sabha elections were not as per expectations for the NDA. The same situation was there in the 2020 Bihar assembly polls. The only reason is that the NDA vote in the region is not consolidated. When the votes get divided, the Mahagatbandhan benefits," he said.

He also stressed that opposing delimitation is a violation of the Constitution which provides for equal value for every vote.

"I saw that a southern chief minister has urged people to increase their population... The government of India wants to control the population, this is against the declared policy of the country," he said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu are among the chief ministers who have urged people in their states to increase population.

"Delimitation is a right provided by the Constitution. The preamble says "we the people of India", not "we the states of India". State is an administrative set-up," Kushwaha said.