Nitish questions UPA's 2011 socio-economic and caste census

Patna, June 6

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday raised questions on the socio-economic and caste census conducted by the then UPA government in 2010-11.

He said that the census report was never published or came into the public domain, and thus no one knows how it was drafted and what was its content.

"We are doing caste-based surveys in a better way and it will become a landmark for others. The data of the survey will be available in the public domain. Once it would be completed, I am sure other state governments would definitely think of doing the same in their places," he said after attending his Janata Darbar.

"We did a couple of meetings and the process of drafting the work is under progress. It will take another one month and then the ground work will start. The execution of ground work will be done through general administration. We will also take help from retired officers and employees who may be interested in it and have previous experience of census," he added.

He dismissed the statement of coalition partner HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, about his experience in the NDA.

Manjhi's Sunday statement came in the context of MLC election for 7 seats, out of which three will go to the opposition RJD and the other four to the NDA.

The JD-U is seeking a 2:2 seat-sharing formula while the BJP wants 3:1. Manjhi is also laying claim to one seat.