The delegation will submit a memorandum demanding caste census and a separate column for Sarna tribal religion in the 2021 census.Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren will head a delegation that will meet Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday to submit a memorandum demanding caste census and a separate column for Sarna tribal religion in the 2021 census. The meeting is being held days after Soren on September 7 wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an appointment for the delegation over the issue. People aware of the matter said the Prime Minister’s Office instead suggested a meeting with Shah as census comes under his ministry’s preview.
“The meeting has been fixed at 4 pm at home minister Amit Shah’s residence on Sunday. We have invited all parties besides our allies Congress and RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal to be a part of the delegation). We have got confirmation from the Left parties and AJSU Party. We have also invited the BJP to join the delegation. It is now up to them to decide,” said Supriyo Bhattacharya, a spokesperson for Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
Jharkhand BJP chief Deepak Prakash earlier this week said they would not join any such delegation.
Bhattacharya said Soren spoke to Prakash again over the issue on Friday. “We are waiting for their response.”
Barring the BJP, all other parties have demanded caste census. The Jharkhand assembly last year adopted a unanimous resolution demanding a separate Sarna tribal religion column in the 2021 census.