Not conducting census but 'counting': Nitish

{ BASED ON CASTE} DAY AFTER CENTRE'S AFFIDAVIT AGAINST CENSUS

- Arun Kumar

The Bihar government is holding a caste-based "counting" and not a census in the state, chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Tuesday, a day after the Union government told the Supreme Court that only the Centre is empowered to carry out a census under the Constitution.

Kumar, a key constituent of the Opposition INDIA bloc, also said that the Lok Sabha elections next year are likely to be advanced because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fears it will suffer because of Opposition unity.

"We are not doing a census. It was made clear at the outset. It is counting. While conducting a census, information is collected about people under the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and minorities. This is not just religion or caste-based counting; a lot of things are also being done with it," Kumar told reporters after inaugurating a newly constructed building at Nalanda Open University.

"We are collecting details about the economic condition of different groups, be it the upper caste, other backward classes, extremely backward classes, SCs, STs or minorities to plan for their development. We are doing it for the welfare of all," he added.