Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut has publicly opposed the need for conducting a caste census in India, forcing her party BJP to yet again distance itself from her statements. This comes days after the BJP MP put the saffron party in a tight spot with her comments regarding the farmers' protests.
BJP has not cleared its stance on the caste census issue, despite strong advocacy for it to be conducted from its key coalition partners - the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). The Opposition, on the other hand, is mounting more and more pressure on the NDA government, demanding that the caste census be carried out sooner rather than later.
What adds fuel to the fire is the fact that BJP is evasive on the demand that caste be included in the next census - despite acknowledging that they are not against the move.
However, the BJP has made it clear that Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut's strong objection to the caste census does not necessarily reflect the party's take on this issue. Reacting to Kangana's remarks, BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan said, “The home minister has said that if a need arises, we will do a caste based census. So Kangana’s assertion does not reflect the party’s stand," reported The Print.
That being said, the Opposition did not fail to hold BJP accountable for its stand on the caste census issue, citing Kangana's remarks. Commenting on the matter, Congress spokesperson Supriya Srinate said, “BJP will not get a caste census conducted and is strictly against it. And these are not my words but that of the BJP’s elected representative Kangana Ranaut… We saw how a BJP MP has made the party’s stand clear on the issue.”
“We all know she has already been reprimanded by the party for her comments on the farmers’ agitation because Haryana elections are just round the corner. And then she made a comment on the caste census. Why shouldn’t her views be seen as the official stand of the BJP?” she added.
Published 29 August 2024, 15:58 IST