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BIG STORY OCTOBER 13, 2023 | The Indian Eye 4

BIHAR CASTE CENSUS

A TRUMP

CARD?

After the caste census done by Nitish Kumar’s government in Bihar reveals a massive

majority of backward castes, INDIA bloc parties demand a nationwide survey.
BJP opposes it strongly. The battle lines for 2024 are being drawn sharply

OUR BUREAU
New Delhi/Patna/Gwalior
n the run-up to the 2024 elections,
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Iand the Opposition bloc INDIA
engaged in a war of words after the
Bihar caste survey was released by
the state government on Monday,
revealing that Other Backward Class-
es (OBCs) and Extremely Backward
Classes (EBCs) constitute more than
63 per cent of the population of Bihar.
According to the data, Scheduled
Castes make up 19.65 per cent and the
Scheduled Tribes 1.68 per cent of the
population of the state. The data also
said that the Hindus comprise 81.99
per cent of the population, Muslims
17.7 per cent, Christians 0.05 per cent,
Sikhs 0.01 per cent, Buddhists 0.08 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along with Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and BJP Leader of opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha during all parties
per cent and other religions 0.12 per meeting, regarding caste-based census survey report in Patna on Tuesday (ANI)
cent. The data said that Yadavs, the
OBC group to which Deputy Chief
Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, is caste-based data has grown. JDU “The caste survey has also pro- Lalu Yadav said that the central
the largest and accounts for 14.27 per leader and Chief Minister Nitish Ku- vided information about the econom- government should ensure that sec-
cent of the state’s population. mar and his ally and RJD patriarch ic condition of various castes. Steps tions of the society get a share in de-
Kushwaha and Kurmi communi- Lalu Prasad Yadav termed the publi- will be taken for the development of velopment as per their numbers. “We
ties form 4.27 per cent and 2.87 per cation of the report “historic”, while all communities on the basis of this will get a caste Census done when we
cent of the population, the caste sur- the BJP and other prominent parties data,” he said in a post on X, formerly form the government in 2024,” the
vey said. Bhumihars constitute 2.86 of the National Democratic Alliance Twitter. RJD leader said.
per cent of the population, Brahmins (NDA) criticised the Bihar govern- RJD founder and former Chief Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi
3.66 per cent, Kurmis 2.87 per cent, ment calling the report an “eye wash”. Minister Lalu Yadav, too, welcomed Yadav also congratulated and thanked
and Musahars 3 per cent. Kumar said the publication of the survey report and said the exercise the entire nation and the people of Bi-
The numbers stand in contrast to the report has coincided with Gandhi was completed despite “BJP’s con- har. Yadav also thanked former Uttar
the quantum of reservation, which is Jayanti and congratulated the survey spiracies and legal hurdles”. Pradesh Chief Minister late Mulayam
27 per cent that the OBC population team for its work. He said a meeting “These figures will set a bench- Singh Yadav and late Sharad Yadav
gets in government jobs and admis- of the nine political parties in the Bi- mark for the country in giving repre- for supporting the idea of a census.
sions to educational institutions. har Assembly, who had unanimously sentation to deprived and oppressed Sharing insights into the survey
With the parties of the INDIA voted in support of the survey, will be sections and the poor as per their pop- findings, he said, “64 per cent are
bloc welcoming the report on caste called soon, and they will be informed ulation and to make policies for their backward and 20 per cent are SC, STs.
in Bihar, the chorus for nationwide about the its findings. development,” he posted on X. Continued on next page... >>

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