A day after Bihar government released the Bihar Caste Based Ganana-2022 (Bihar caste-based count-2022), which revealed the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) to be the largest group in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on October 3 held an all-party meeting to apprise them about the outcomes of the survey.
The Opposition BJP and a few other parties raised objections over “faults and defects” in the released report, after which the Chief Minister reportedly asked officials to look into them.
According to sources, Mr. Kumar informed those at the meeting that “socio-economic profile of castes will be provided to all political parties ahead of upcoming winter session of the State Assembly”. The caste survey had 17 points, mostly regarding the socio-economic profile of the people. However, the results released on Monday only showcased the caste profile of the over 13 crore population of the State.
“There was nothing special at the meeting. It was all which was shown on October 2 to media persons. But, at the meeting, we raised objections over some kami aur khami (defects and faults) in the survey report. The Chief Minister asked officials to look into our objections,” Leader of Opposition in Assembly and senior State BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha told media persons after the meeting.
“First we asked the government, whether it’s a caste ganana (count) or the survey? Whatever it was, it has some defects and faults. The survey is wrong,” he claimed, adding that BJP always supported any move that would benefit the poor and marginalised sections of society for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched several welfare schemes.
Mr. Sinha added that party leaders would mull over the next course of action on the survey report.
Sources from other parties told The Hindu that former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) raised objections over the “faulty process” of the survey and asked the government to “rectify” them. Claiming that several people had complained that they were not approached by anyone for the survey, leaders of these parties questioned how the population or count of some casts has decreased in the report. “The government officials had no answers to their questions,” said a party leader who was present in the meeting.
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On Monday, Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal (RLJD) president and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha too had termed the caste survey report as “fake and conducted in haste”. “None has come to me to ask my caste for the survey and there must be several more people who were not approached to be included in the survey report. It seems it was conducted in haste. It’s a fake report,” he alleged.
“And, why did the government not release the socio-economic profile of the survey, if it was serious for the upliftment of poor and marginalised caste people?” he asked. Senior state Congress party leader Kishor Kumar Jha dubbed the report as “incomplete” and demanded that the survey be conducted “afresh”.
The survey has revealed that EBCs (36.0148%) and Other Backward Classes (27.1286%) together constitute 63% of the State’s population. At 14.26%, the Yadav caste among makes up more than half of the OBCs.
There are 112 castes in the EBC category, a section that Mr. Kumar is said to have nursed as part of his “social engineering” effort to remain in power since November 2005. “Obviously, with the caste survey report, the ruling grand alliance parties will be bigger beneficiaries in sending out the message among masses that they’re the real representative of the largest chunk of the population in the State”, political analyst Ajay Kumar said.
