BJP dares MP CM to stop census

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Monday dared MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath to stop Census officials from recording tribals as Hindus. He was addressing a rally that was organised to protest the blockade of a road leading to Mahakal temple in district headquarters of Ujjain by antiCitizenship Amendment Act activists for the last several days.

Mr Vijayvargiya said, “He will not remain in office even for a day if he restrains the census officials from recording our Hindu tribal brothers as Hindus.”

He was referring to the recent remarks by Mr Nath about how legal action would be taken against RSS activists if they coerced the tribals to give them a particular religious identity in the 2021 Census. Mr Nath was reacting to the reported call given by RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat to the sangh cadres to ensure that tribals recorded themselves as Hindus in the upcoming census.

Mr Nath said the RSS would not be allowed to create disturbance in the peaceful life of tribals by resorting to such tactics. Earlier, senior BJP leader Gopal Bhargav accused Mr Nath of hatching a conspiracy to identify the tribals as Christians at the behest of Congress high command.