Mayawati criticises delay in census, emphasises importance of caste census on Kanshiram’s birth anniversary | Lucknow News

LUCKNOW: BSP National President Mayawati on Saturday said that keeping the census pending is not at all a good governance. Speaking on the occasion of the 91st birth anniversary of BSP founder Kanshiram, she said that the exercise of the census is directly linked to nation-building. Therefore, the govt needs to be as cautious towards this responsibility as it is in conducting timely elections.
The parliamentary committee has also expressed its concern over not getting the census done, she added.
At the same time, the importance of a caste census cannot be denied when it comes to giving the development of the country and society a new direction, said the BSP chief. “The government should take necessary steps to deal with the matter with the required seriousness.”
The population of the Bahujan community is more than 80 percent in the country and in UP, said Mayawati, adding that Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar made a provision for a national census in the constitution to ensure ‘bahujans’ the guarantee of “public welfare through public census.”
Mayawati also expressed concern over the rising debate over language, religion, region, caste, and community in the country and blamed it on the growing intensity of narrow and malicious politics driven by casteism and communalism. “While the national problems, like poverty, lack of education, unemployment, inflation, and backwardness, have been overlooked.”
She further said that it is because of the lack of employment that “empty minds and empty hands” are affecting the interests of the country. “The reason why Manyavar Kanshiram Ji advocated har kaath ko kaam (employment for all). My government in UP gave employment to people from every community under the same policy of his.”
Mayawati said that people in UP have tested all the opposition parties several times and have also seen the work done by the governments formed four times in the state by BSP. “They can compare what BSP governments did for public welfare, law and order, and to control crime with the work done by others.”
People know that the other parties make hollow promises to mislead people while BSP believes more in performance than making claims and promises, said the former UP CM.
BSP workers paid tributes to Kanshiram at Rashtriyal Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida, Manyavar Shri Kanshiram Ji Smarak Sthal in Lucknow, and Bahujan Prerna Kendra in New Delhi.
The party has built memorials, parks, colleges, universities, hospitals, grounds, and districts in UP and elsewhere under the name of its founder, Kanshiram, to commemorate his legacy.
“This was never liked by our political rivals, who changed the names of many of these institutes and districts when they came to power,” said Mayawati.
“It was the SP government which first changed the name of Manyavar Shri Kanshiram Ji Urdu, Arabi and Farsi University in Lucknow, and then the incumbent BJP government made it into the language university by almost eroding its significance.”
It is impossible to even expect the welfare of ‘bahujans’ from such parties, with a narrow, malicious, casteist, and communal mindset, and their governments, said Mayawati.