India News | Nitish Hails Centre's Decision to Observe Partition Horrors Remembrance Day
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday hailed the Centre's decision to observe August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, saying that it will be a fitting tribute to all those who were displaced from their roots and lost their lives in the violence caused by the partition.
Patna, Aug 16 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday hailed the Centre's decision to observe August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, saying that it will be a fitting tribute to all those who were displaced from their roots and lost their lives in the violence caused by the partition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday that August 14 will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day in memory of the struggles and sacrifices of people, saying the pain of partition can never be forgotten.
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“Declaration of such a day would remind the present and future generations of Indians of the pain and suffering faced by the people during the partition,” Kumar said after winding up his public interaction program “Janata Ke Darbaar Mein Mukhyamantri''.
Mahatma Gandhi never wanted partition of India, the chief minister of the NDA-ruled state said.
Pakistan was carved out as a Muslim country after the division of India by the British colonial rule in 1947, and millions of people were displaced and many lakhs of them lost their lives as large scale rioting broke out.
Opposition parties claimed that the decision is a move to divert the attention of people ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.
"Now we must work for the overall growth of the country," Kumar said.
He also praised Modi for removing the confusion regarding a state's right to classify other backward castes (OBCs).
“The states had the right to classify OBCs earlier also. In Bihar, former CM Karpoori Thakur had also created a separate category for extremely backward classes (EBCs). Some states have done it differently, as they were empowered to do so”, he said.
There was some confusion over the issue for the last few years, Kumar said.
“Now the Centre has made it clear that the states can continue to have the right to classify OBCs. We must appreciate the Central government's stand over the issue. A caste-based census will solve this problem. It is in the interest of the country and it is for the Centre to decide,” he said.
Kumar said that the PMO has acknowledged his letter seeking an appointment with Modi to discuss the issue of caste-based census.
"I am waiting to know the date of appointment," he said.
The Lok Sabha on August 10 passed a Constitution amendment bill to restore the power of states to make their own OBC lists. Opposition parties backed the legislation.
Fresh demands for caste census have been triggered by a statement by the Centre in Parliament recently that an exercise to ascertain the population of only SCs and STs was under consideration.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)