Lalu Prasad protests withholding caste-based census data

Patna, July 13: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad led thousands of his party workers here on Monday to protest withholding of the caste-based census data and demanded it be made public.

Lalu along with his two sons Tej Pratap and Tejasvi Yadav sat in an open jeep and led the to Raj Bhawan to protest against withholding the data. Lalu Prasad also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ani-backward.

"This march is just a beginning. We would protest (right upto) to the parliament because Modi is not eager to make the data public soon.

"RJD would compel the BJP-led central government to make public the caste-based Census data soon. We would launch a bigger movement than the Mandal movement of the 90s if Modi would conspire to delay to make the data public," Lalu told party workers and leaders minutes before he hit the roads here.

The former Bihar chief minister said people of the country have a right to know the details of caste-based Census.

"Centre should make the caste census public instead of withholding the data on numerical strength of different castes."

Lalu said people, particularly the poorest of the poor, marginalised and downtrodden sections of the society, have right to know it and every caste should know its strength and weakness in terms of population and other aspects, he said.

He said RJD's allies - the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Congress and National Congress Party (NCP) - have extended moral support to it on the issue.

Lalu has also hinted that the issue could be one of the main planks of the alliance of RJD, JD-U, Congress and the NCP in the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.

IANS