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OBC chieftains oppose 'delay' in caste count TNN, Aug 13, 2010, 02.26am IST NEW DELHI: A day after a ministerial panel gave its nod to caste census, OBC satraps raised apprehensions about the feasibility of doing the caste count at the stage of biometric capture, forcing the government to assure them it was not trying to hoodwink them. The OBC satraps were on their feet no sooner had the Lok Sabha assembled on Thursday, raising doubts on the GoM's decision on Wednesday to have caste count during the biometric stage. They implied that it may actually sabotage their agenda to have a headcount of OBCs. The protest by JD(U), SP, BSP and RJD led to adjournment of question hour, and the government for the first time made an official announcement that caste census would happen but the modalities were to be worked out. Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee said "caste will be canvassed without affecting the integrity of headcount". The statement was worked out in a meeting where Mukherjee and home minister P Chidambaram told OBC leaders that caste count could only be done at the stage when the biometric signs of citizens are taken. While it was not spelt out officially owing to the technicality that Cabinet was still to decide, the assurance bore fruit and LS resumed duty. The protesting outfits said caste count at the biometric stage would never happen and it should be taken up during the headcount. The biometric stage will see special camps being set up across the country in November-December to collect fingerprints and iris scan of people. "Are we fools? Biometric stage will never come," SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said. The leaders said biometrics would be a long-drawn process. "This (biometric) exercise cannot be completed in 100 years. The decision to hand out voter identity cards was taken 15 years ago and has not been implemented completely," Sharad Yadav said. Read more: OBC chieftains oppose 'delay' in caste count - India - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/OBC-chieftains-oppose-delay-in-caste-count/articleshow/6300974.cms#ixzz0wSUd8Yrl