“Even then they used to play with the feelings of the poor and they are doing it even now. Even then they used to divide the country on the basis of caste and even now they are doing the same,” Prime Minister said at a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.
PM’s remarks assume significance as the results of Bihar caste survey released today has once again renewed calls for a national caste census.
The Congress has made it clear that it will make national caste census a poll issue in the upcoming assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
This even as the BJP has termed the survey results as false and called it an eyewash to create confusion among the poor.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Bihar government survey shows the importance of knowing the caste statistics of the country. He reiterated his demand to give people rights based on their population.
“The caste census of Bihar has revealed that OBC + SC + ST are 84% there. Out of 90 secretaries of the Central Government, only 3 are OBC, who handle only 5% of India’s budget! Therefore, it is important to know the caste statistics of India. The greater the population, the greater the rights – this is our pledge,” Rahul Gandhi posted on ‘X’ (Formerly Twitter).
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad said caste census will be conducted across the country after 2024.
OBCs and Extremely Backward Classes form 63% of Bihar population, shows caste survey
“We have witnessed a historic day on Mahatma Gandhi’s Jayanti. The Bihar government has released the caste-based survey despite various conspiracies and court cases,” Lalu Prasad said.
“This data will be used to make policies for the marginalised sections of society. It will give representation to people as per their strength in the state’s resources and will set an example in the country,” he said.
“The state government should ensure that it gives representation to people as per their numbers in the state. I firmly believe that people of every caste should get fair right in the state’s resources. When we form the government in 2024, we will conduct a caste-based census in the entire country,” the RJD chief said.
Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav also pushed for a nationwide caste-based census or similar census in other states.
“If it has happened in Bihar, it should happen in the entire nation as well, even those ruled by the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership,” Tejashwi said.
Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav on Bihar caste survey
On the way forward in Bihar, the deputy CM said: “The government will make an effort to make social welfare schemes based on this scientific data. We will make special schemes for those caste groups who are poor, though poverty exists in every caste.”
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh welcomed the Bihar survey results and demanded a national census at the earliest.
“While welcoming the initiative and recalling similar earlier surveys in other states like Karnataka by Congress governments, the Indian National Congress reiterates its demand that the Union government conduct a national Caste Census at the earliest,” Jairam Ramesh said.
“The UPA-2 government had, in fact, completed this Census but its results were not published by the Modi government. Such a census has become essential for providing a firmer foundation for social empowerment programmes and for deepening social justice,” he added.
However, the BJP has rejected the findings.
BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh put question mark over the report, terming it as “false”.
“The caste-based survey is just an eyewash. There are thousands of castes in Bihar, but the Nitish Kumar government has released data based only on few of them. The report published today is false,” Singh said while interacting with mediapersons in Begusarai.
“Lalu Prasad represents Yadavs (14 per cent), while Nitish Kumar represents Kurmis (2.8 per cent) and they have ruled the state for more than 33 years. I want to ask them what did they for the poor people of the state?
“They are trying to create confusion among the poor through this caste-based census. At a time when people are going to the moon, they are only counting the number of castes. Lalu (Prasad) and Nitish (Kumar) are hiding their failure of 33 years through such reports,” said Singh, who is the Union minister for rural development and panchayati raj.