Patna (Bihar) [India], May 1 (ANI): RJD MP Sanjay Yadav has termed the Centre's announcement of a caste census an' ideological and policy victory' for his party.

'It had been our long-pending demand, decade-long demand...This anti-Dalit, anti-Backwards Government has not taken this up to date. They have made this decision now,' Sanjay Yadav told ANI on Wednesday.

'They have decided to get this done in the upcoming Census, but what would you do with this data? What policies will you make? There is an NDA government in Bihar. What decision are you making in the 17 months since we got it done here? Nothing,' he added.

He demanded seats reserved in the Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishad in proportion to the data of the caste census.

'We demand that there should be reserved seats in Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishad in proportion to the data of the caste census, just like it is in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. Our fight has just begun...This is our ideological and policy victory,' he said.

In Patna, RJD leaders, including former Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, burst crackers after the Union Cabinet approved the caste census.

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Meanwhile, in a sharp rebuttal to the RJD's claims that the BJP would take credit for the caste census, Union Minister Chirag Paswan said, 'Jisko jo credit lena hai wo le lein' (Let whoever wants the credit, take it).

Speaking to ANI, Chirag Paswan hit back at the RJD amid a political tug-of-war over the caste census and said that those who once doubted the Centre's intent are now scrambling to take credit for its completion.

He accused opposition leaders of undermining the Centre's commitment to the caste census.

'They (Opposition) are the people who were pointing fingers at us and our Prime Minister, saying that we will not do the caste census. They used to go from house to house and raise slogans saying that the Centre wouldn't have done it. However, the important thing is that the majority of the population in the country has this wish. My PM has given their wishes and feelings due respect,' Paswan told ANI.

Earlier in the day, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav spoke to the mediapersons and said, 'We hope the census will be done before the delimitation exercise...It is a slap on the faces of those who used to blame us for spreading casteism.'

'Until we don't get scientific data, we won't be able to bring the backwards classes into the mainstream..Naturally, the people of the BJP will take credit for it. But Modi ji had rejected it many times. Lalu ji fought the actual fight for the caste census,' he said. (ANI)