The political parties in Bihar are competing with each other to take credit for the Union cabinet’s decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming national census. Welcoming the move, RJD has defined it a victory of Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav’s decades of struggle while the Congress party has called it an achievement of Rahul Gandhi. The ruling parties, the JD (U) and the BJP, have credited to their side that the caste-based census in the country is a contribution of PM Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Union Food Processing Industries Minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking decisive action, saying, the decision taken by the NDA government will fulfill the dreams of Bhimrao Ambedkar as he slammed the Congress, RJD and other opposition parties for trying to claim credit for the caste census. Caste is still the cornerstone of electoral strategy in Bihar, with the RJD banking on its traditional Yadav-Muslim base, and the Janata Dal (United) leaning on support from Kurmis, Koeris, OBCs, and Mahadalits. The Bihar assembly elections are still six months away, till then every party will continue to further extend its support base exploiting the issue to the extreme.
RAHUL GANDHI CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE ANNOUNCEMENT ON DEADLINE FOR STARTING CENSUS
After the Union cabinet gave the seal of approval on the caste census, leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi demanded the Narendra Modi government to announce a deadline for the census and calling it just the first step toward deeper social reform. While reiterating the demand for removing the 50 per cent cap on reservations, Gandhi said funds should be allocated for the caste census. He acknowledged the Union Cabinet’s announcement as the first step and said Telangana is a model for implementing the caste census. There are two examples – Bihar’s and Telangana’s and there is a vast difference between the two,” he added. From the Lok Sabha polls to Assembly elections, the nationwide caste survey has been Rahul Gandhi’s biggest and most potent weapon. Rahul Gandhi has argued that the caste survey will ensure that the poor and backward communities will get their rightful due. In its resolution passed during the AICC session in Ahmedabad on April 9, the Congress reiterated its commitment to enacting a central law for the SC/ST sub-plan and ensuring that budgetary allocations are made proportionate to their population.
AHEAD OF BIHAR ASSEMBLY POLLS, SEAT SHARING TALKS BETWEEN CONGRESS AND RJD TO BEGIN
Ahead of Bihar assembly elections, the Congress has increased its campaign, launching a large-scale public outreach under the banner ‘Save the Constitution’ on 29 April. State Congress president Rajesh Kumar Ram led a massive march in Patna to demonstrate the party’s commitment to constitutional values and to assert its presence within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. Meanwhile, top-level discussions have reportedly commenced on the issue of seat-sharing with the RJD and the Congress being at the centre of affairs. In the 2020 Assembly elections, under seat-sharing, the RJD contested 144 seats and Congress on 70 seats, while the remaining 29 seats went to Left parties. The RJD emerged as the largest party in the Mahagathbandhan, winning 75 seats, but the performance of the Congress was extremely disappointing and only 19 of its candidates emerged victorious, due to which the Mahagathbandhan failed to form the government in Bihar then. The Congress’s strike rate was only 27 per cent in 2020 and perhaps this is the main reason why the RJD does not want to give more than 50 seats to the Congress but the Congress is demanding for 70 seats. According to sources, seat sharing will be finalised in the month of August. On the other hand, Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav have a stiff challenge to reach a consensus on seat-sharing with Congress.
POLITICAL WAR STARTS BETWEEN AAP AND BJP OVER WATER SUPPLY FOR DELHI
A simmering water row between Punjab and Haryana is creating a ripple effect in Delhi where Delhi water minister Parvesh Verma accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government of dirty politics by halting water supply to Haryana and Delhi. Verma alleged that “after losing power in Delhi, AAP now longs to create a water crisis in the capital.” While AAP’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj hit back: “The Punjab government has not stopped water meant for Delhi or Haryana. It is the BJP that is snatching Punjab’s rightful share. Now that the Indus Waters Treaty is cancelled, why don’t they divert that water to Haryana and Delhi? Why steal Punjab’s water?” Delhi receives around 270 million gallons of water from the Bhakra Nangal dam daily, the lack of which could likely affect around 50 lakh people. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has assured that her government will not let a water crisis hit Delhi.
DELHI CHIEF MINISTER REKHA GUPTA LAUNCHES CLEANLINESS DRIVE FOR 20 DAYS
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched a 20-day intensive cleanliness drive across the national capital, vowing visible transformation in Delhi’s public spaces. The announcement was made following a high-level meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena at Raj Niwas which was attended by district magistrates, deputy commissioners, DCPs, and department heads. Asserting that Delhi now has a triple-engine government, Rekha Gupta said senior officials will inspect the cleanliness drive in the respective areas and warned of strict action against violators. Gupta also announced that each deputy commissioner will designate one locality as a model area to showcase ideal sanitation, greenery and civic upkeep. The drive had commenced on 2nd May and it includes waste segregation, removal of encroachments and daily monitoring of work on the ground. The move comes after the BJP secured the mayoral post, giving it control over all three key layers of power in the Capital — the Centre via the LG, the Delhi government, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). (IPA Service)
New Labour Codes Entrench The Macro-Patriarchal Tenacity Of The Indian State 