Patna (Bihar) [India], May 2 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha on Friday took a veiled dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders who previously made statements against the caste census, asserting that this was a demand that couldn't be ignored.

'Which slogan will replace 'batenge to katenge'?' Jha told ANI.

'Our (Bihar) LoP Tejashwi Yadav has also said this, and we have been saying this too; this is such a demand that can't be left out. I am worried about those big leaders who have been saying things like, if caste census happens, the poison of casteism will spread, how will they cover up their statement now?' he added.

He demanded that the government create a timeline or roadmap to implement and conduct the caste census, as it was originally scheduled for 2021. Many issues, including women's reservation and delimitation, are closely tied to the government census.

'What is important is that many important things have been clubbed together. The census was supposed to happen in 2021. It has been four years, and there has been no initiative. Caste census, women's reservation, and delimitation are associated with the census. There should be a timeline or a roadmap for the same,' Jha said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Vasantrao Sapkal credited Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, as the central government decides to conduct a caste census. He demanded that the caste census be implemented in a time-bound manner.

Earlier on Thursday, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav welcomed the government's decision to approve the caste census, describing it as a significant step towards achieving social justice.

This move is a major victory for the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) and a result of collective pressure from various groups, he said, adding that the decision to conduct a caste census is a 100 per cent victory for the 90 per cent PDA people.

Yadav emphasised that the BJP government was forced to take this decision due to the combined pressure from all sections of society.

This came after the centre decided to include castes in the forthcoming census. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decision on April 30 following the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs meeting. (ANI)