'Why Is BJP Afraid?': Lalu Yadav A Day After Patna High Court Stays Caste Census

RJD Chief Lalu Yadav made no mention of the Patna High Court's stay of the Bihar caste survey.

Patna: A day after the Bihar caste survey hit a snag, RJD president Lalu Prasad unleashed a barrage of criticism on the state's opposition BJP.  The Patna High Court on Thursday ordered a stay on the caste survey being conducted by the Bihar government. Taking to Twitter, the septuagenarian made no mention of the Patna High Court's stay of the survey, but accused the saffron party of being "afraid" of a headcount of the 'bahusankhyak' (majority) backward classes.

"Caste census is a demand of the majority of the country." It is unavoidable (hokar rahega)," tweeted the former Bihar Chief Minister, arguably the tallest of the leaders thrown up by the Mandal churn of the 1990s. "Why is the BJP so afraid of a headcount of the bahusankhyak backward classes?" he asked. "Whoever opposes such a survey, is against the ideals of equality and humanity and a votary of social discrimination, poverty and unemployment".

जातिगत जनगणना बहुसंख्यक जनता की माँग है और यह हो कर रहेगा। BJP बहुसंख्यक पिछड़ों की गणना से डरती क्यों है?

जो जातीय गणना का विरोधी है वह समता, मानवता, समानता का विरोधी एवं ऊँच-नीच, गरीबी, बेरोजगारी, पिछड़ेपन, सामाजिक व आर्थिक भेदभाव का समर्थक है।

देश की जनता जातिगत जनगणना पर… — Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) May 5, 2023

Notably, the Nitish Kumar government in the state had ordered the survey after the Centre declined the request for a headcount of social groups other than SCs, STs and religious minorities as part of the census. The BJP, which was in power in Bihar when the survey was ordered, but now is in the opposition, has squarely blamed the chief minister for the setback.

Nonetheless, the RJD president, whose party helms the ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' in the state, asserted "the people of the country have understood the deviousness of the BJP on the issue of caste census". The BJP maintains that it has never been opposed to a caste census, citing its support to resolutions passed to the effect in the state legislature and the executive order for the survey.

Nonetheless, pro-OBC parties like the RJD and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) feel that the BJP, which draws its primary support base from among the upper castes, is wary of such an exercise. It is widely believed that if a headcount established that the percentage of OBCs, vis a vis the total population, has risen since the caste census was last conducted in 1931, it would lead to passionate demands for an increase in reservation quotas.

Leaders like Prasad, in the past, and more recently Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, have gone on record saying that the 50 per cent cap on quotas, set by the Supreme Court has been breached as a result of reservations to Economically Weaker Sections and, therefore backward classes should be given a share that was commensurate with their population.