Amit Shah says Bihar caste survey shows inflated Yadavs, Muslim population

“They (the Grand Alliance) have been trying to pass themselves off as champions of OBCs with this report. But Nitish Kumar should remember that when the decision to conduct the caste survey was made, the BJP was part of the state government…The survey inflated the numbers of Muslims and Yadavs, while the number of EBCs (Extremely Backward Classes) was deflated. It was done under pressure from Lalu Prasad,” Shah said.

According to the survey report, which was released last month, Yadavs constitute 14.3 per cent of Bihar’s population, and Muslims account for 17.7 per cent. In 1931, the last time the country’s census had data on castes that were not part of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the number of Yadavs in Bihar was recorded at 12.7 per cent of the population, and Muslims constituted 14.7 per cent.

On Friday, Shah had said in Chhattisgarh that the BJP was not opposed to the idea of a caste census, but that it would not do “politics of votes” on the issue. He said such “decisions have to be taken after careful thought” and at an “appropriate time”.

In his speech in Muzaffarpur on Sunday, he said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had made sure the backward communities got their due. “Our Cabinet has 27 ministers from OBC. We have given constitutional validity to the OBC commission. Why did Lalu Prasad (who was a Union minister in the UPA government) not get it done? We have given quotas for OBCs in extending petrol/gas agencies allotment. We have also given financial assistance to backward students at pre-matric and post-matric levels,” Shah said.

Taking a jibe at the Opposition, Shah said Nitish would get nowhere with the INDIA bloc. “Nitish Babu, you better drop the idea of becoming PM. INDIA alliance did not even make you its convenor. Aap kahin ke nahi rahenge (You will not belong anywhere),” he said.

He also told the crowd that the Ram Temple in Ayodhya would be inaugurated on January 22, 2024. “On this day, diyas will be lit in all temples of the country to mark the occasion,” Shah said.

He appealed to voters to bring the BJP back to power in Bihar in the 2025 Assembly election in order to get rid of the “jungleraj (misrule)” in the state.