New Delhi:<\/strong> A multi-party delegation of political leaders from Bihar, which included Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to implement caste census.<\/p>\n Kumar later described the meeting as being “positive”.<\/p>\n The Chief Minister, who led the delegation of ten political parties from Bihar, met the Prime Minister and urged him to implement a caste-based census to find out the numbers of backward classes across the country.<\/p>\n <\/ins><\/ins><\/ins>Speaking to the media after the meeting outside the South Block, the Chief Minister said all the political parties and the people of Bihar are of the opinion that caste-based census should be held, and this was conveyed to the Prime Minister in detail.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are grateful to the Prime Minister for listening to us. Everybody in the delegation put forth their point of view on the caste-based census,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Terming the meeting with the Prime Minister \u201cPositive,\u201d he said, \u201cWe are expecting that the PM will deliberate upon issues and take a decision on it”.<\/p>\n <\/ins><\/ins><\/ins>He said, ‘We decide to meet the PM after the statement given by the government that Centre would not enumerate the population according to caste.<\/p>\n Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav said, “Our delegation met the PM today not only for the caste census in Bihar but in the entire country because it will be a historical step and all the poor will benefit\u201d.<\/p>\n He added, “When animals and trees are counted, then why not people… When the government has no scientific data on the population of backward classes, how will it make welfare policies”.<\/p>\n Commenting on the recently passed OBC bill in Parliament, which empowered the state to make their own OBC list, he said, \u201cWhen states will have caste data, only then it will be able to include castes in the state OBC list. If caste Census will lead to unrest, then the same logic applies to religion as well”.<\/p>\n Asked about any future plan to tie up with the JDU, Yadav said, for his party has always stood up for the “national interest”.<\/p>\n “We have always stood with the government even during the Covid-19 pandemic, we had offered our support to the Chief Minister,” he said.<\/p>\n The meeting was attended by the leaders of 10 political parties at South Block on Monday.<\/p>\n The demand for a census to count other backward classes was raised during the debate on a constitutional amendment Bill to restore states’ power to have their own OBC lists.<\/p>\n BJP’s ally in Uttar Pradesh, Apna Dal leader, and Union Minister Anupriya Patel is among the leaders who demanded a caste census, which is likely to come up as an issue in upcoming polls in the state.<\/p>\n [HAMS LIVE]<\/p>\n