Karnataka has no power to do caste census: Ramdas Athawale
BENGALURU: Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale on Saturday said that the State Government has no power to conduct a caste census, as the power is vested with the Union Government.
He opined that the states don't need to conduct their own caste census and advised the Karnataka government to cooperate with the Centre, which has announced a general census with caste enumeration.
'The State Government has no power to conduct a caste census. The power is vested with the Centre. But efforts are being made in a few states, like Karnataka, to conduct a caste census. With the Centre planning a census, a separate census by the state government is not necessary,' he told reporters in Bengaluru.
He was in the city to attend a Republican Party of India (RPI) conference and also Environment Day celebrations organised by environmental enthusiast Vijayraje Dhamal at Town Hall.
Meanwhile, Athawale claimed that the decision to include caste enumeration in the general census was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's own decision and not because of pressure from LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. 'The Congress never thought of a caste census when it was in power,' he further said.
He asked the NDA in Karnataka—BJP and JDS—to include his party, RPI, as part of the alliance and together 'fight the misrule of the ruling Congress' in the state.
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