India, April 14 -- Amid the escalating tension in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over its volte-face on the Waqf Bill voting in Rajya Sabha, eight-time MLA and former minister Ranendra Pratap Swain has demanded that party chief Naveen Patnaik take a principled stand on the conduct of comprehensive caste census like Telangana and Karnataka so that the party can reclaime its ideological legacy on social justice.

In a letter to Patnaik, Swain wrote that the foundational ideals of the party - Social Justice and Secularism - are being tested in unprecedented ways and the recent discontent among party workers over the Waqf Bill controversy has raised serious questions about our stand on secularism.

"The party must reaffirm its commitment to both s...