A day after his government released the data of a caste-based census, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called an all-party meeting Today to discuss the findings and decide the future course of action. With the caste census, the Opposition has tried to set the narrative for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections even as the BJP claims the survey findings will not impact its efforts to unite all the different castes under the one Hindu-vote bank.
After the survey findings were made public, CM Nitish Kumar said that “further action” on the upliftment of all the sections will taken after the all-party meeting. He said that the census not just revealed the castes but all provided crucial information about the economic condition of people of the state.
“The proposal for caste based enumeration was passed unanimously in the Legislature. It was decided with the consent of all the 9 parties of Bihar Assembly that the state government will conduct caste based census from its own resources and its approval was given from the Council of Ministers on 02-06-2022.
“On this basis, the state government has conducted caste based census from its own resources. Caste based census not only revealed the castes but also gave information about the economic condition of everyone. On this basis, further action will be taken for the development and upliftment of all sections,” Kumar said in a post on X.
Reacting to the development, RJD Supremo Lalu Yadav said that the Bihar caste-based survey will set the tone for “a nationwide caste census which will be undertaken when we form the next government at the Centre”.
The Opposition INDIA block has been pushing for the caste-based census on national level. The Congress has even announced to conduct a caste census in Madhya Pradesh if elected to power. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also supported the demand to ensure social justice.
According to the date released by Bihar government, the state has a total population of 13.07 crore of which Extremely Backward Classes stood at 36 per cent followed by 27.13 per cent Backward Classes. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes constituted 19.65 per cent and 1.68 per cent of the state’s total population, respectively. The state has 15.5 per cent of the so called upper caste population also known as General.
The findings are crucial and come amid heightened demand of a greater OBC quota. However, the BJP has rejected the caste census demand. Addressing a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Opposition for “trying to divide the country in the name of caste”. While Modi didn’t refer the Bihar caste census findings, he called the attempts to divide the country on caste lines to a “sin”.