New Delhi: Launching a scathing attack on the INDIA bloc, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi urged the alliance to conduct caste censuses in the states where they are in power. "They should conduct a caste census in the states where they are in power. I want to ask them why they are not doing it in Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, and West Bengal. In Karnataka, they have already done the caste survey but still, they are not disclosing the data. Karnataka Dy CM has threatened that if you disclose the data then what will be the consequences," Trivedi stated.

Earlier, JD(U) leader KC Tyagi demanded that reservation be included in the ninth schedule of the Constitution, reinforcing the party's stance in favor of a caste census. Tyagi's remarks followed the Supreme Court's refusal to stay a Patna High Court order that set aside state government amendments aimed at increasing quotas for certain sections. "It is bad news for the deprived sections of society... We demand that reservation should be included in the ninth schedule of the Constitution so that every matter related to reservation could be exempted from judicial review... JD(U) is in favor of conducting a caste census in the country," Tyagi said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized the Modi government for failing to conduct the Census and pointed out that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech did not allocate funds for the decadal Population Census, which was supposed to occur in 2021. "It is highly disappointing that the Finance Minister's announcement on Data and Statistics makes no mention of releasing funds for the decadal Population Census that was supposed to have taken place in 2021, but has still not been conducted," Ramesh stated.

In a related development, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy ordered officials to prepare an action plan to increase the BC (Backward Classes) quota in the upcoming local body Panchayat elections. The Chief Minister reviewed the proposal to enhance the BC quota in local body elections and asked officials to provide details on the implementation of reservation in Panchayat elections and the proposal to increase the quota in the upcoming elections.

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