PATNA: A day after the Centre released the first ever socio-economic and caste census (SECC) date of Independent India, RJD president Lalu Prasad on Saturday attacked Narendra Modi government for not releasing the caste-based data.

“Modi government has ‘betrayed’ 85% population of the country by not making public the caste-data. Why does the government not want to bring the truth before public? The caste-based data should be made public so that the nation could know how many people are in which social strata and what are their socio-economic conditions,” Prasad said in a post on his official Facebook page.

He said, “They deliberately withheld the caste data because they are scared that as soon as the facts regarding caste population will come out, people will come to know as to how 10-15% population is sitting on 90% resources of the country and this revelation may lead to a ‘storm’ in the country. They are scared that the disadvantaged class may start demanding more ‘rights’ after the release of correct figures (about castes).”

RJD chief, in his post, also attacked the saffron party saying, “The BJP doesn’t want to make the caste data public with intention to suppress the deprived class.” He said they were the same people who created troubles across the country after implementation of some of recommendations of the Mandal Commission. But till date they could not inform the nation as to why the representation of backward classes in the central services was still hovering around 4% even after the implementation of Mandal Commission.

He also said that a baseless contention was being spread that society would be divided after release of the caste-data. “They are talking about increase of ‘casteism’ following release of the caste-data. I want to ask a question from them- when communalism is not increasing following religion–wise census every decade, and liguicism (linguistic discrimination) is not increasing following language-wise survey in each decadal census, then how can casteism will increase because of caste census?” the RJD chief quipped.

He further said the government had already been conducting caste-wise census of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. “Why the centre is afraid of similar caste-wise counting of upper castes and other backward castes?” Prasad asked.

The RJD chief also recalled how in 2010 the then UPA government had agreed to conduct caste census after political pressure created by the JD(U)’s Sharad Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief Mulalyam Singh Yadav and he himself. “Now, when the caste-data has been collected because of our pressure, why the Modi government is avoiding to make it public?” the RJD president asked.