The decision of the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar to make public details of the caste survey is set to put the spotlight on the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh that borders Bihar and where the party’s OBC allies are unanimous in seeking a caste count, last undertaken in 1931.
These BJP allies from east Uttar Pradesh are unanimous that only a caste count could establish the numerical strength of each caste.
Such allies include the Suheldev Bhratiya Samaj Party (SBSP) comprising Rajbhars, a most backward caste, the Nishad Party of riverine groups like boatmen and fishermen and Apna Dal (Sonelal), largely a political front for Kurmis, who are among the numerically dominant OBC groups after Yadavs.
“It’s true that me and my party have always sought a caste-based census and have raised the issue in Parliament as well,” said Apna Dal (S) leader and Union minister Anupriya Patel, a Lok Sabha MP from Mirzapur.
“On the face of it, Bihar’s move is a welcome one. But then, in their case, one must ask as to whether those castes, which have emerged as most backward and whose numbers are high too in their survey, have actually benefitted over the years in Bihar, which for the last three decades has mostly been ruled either by Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD or Nitish Kumar’s JD (U),” said SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar.
The BJP is seeking to come up with a counter by citing how a lot has been done for OBCs under the ‘double engine’ governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP is seeking to come up with a counter by citing how a lot has been done for OBCs under the ‘double engine’ governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.
{{/usCountry}}“All castes, be it backwards, dalits or others, are development-oriented for they know they will benefit when development happens. Now, in Uttar Pradesh everyone is getting their rights and respect,” said BJP’s U.P. OBC wing chief and backward welfare minister Narendra Kashyap.
“My department’s budget that used to be around ₹500 crore earlier has gone up under Yogi Adityanathji’s government manifold and currently is pegged at ₹2300 crore. We are spending ₹150 crore on the marriage of daughters from poor OBC families. Then for scholarships, fees of OBC students, the government is investing more than ever before. That is why the issue of caste census isn’t getting much attention as OBCs have benefitted under our government like never before,” Kashyap said.
To counter the opposition pitch, the BJP is readying its social media wing too.
In November, a mega-OBC conclave will happen in Prayagraj in which the top leaders of the party are expected to participate.
“Around two lakh (200,000) new OBC cadres are also being readied and they will visit all 403 assembly segments to bust the opposition canard against us,” Kashyap said.
Political experts felt that the BJP would now rely on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, its most charismatic leader, to bail them out.
“See Prime Minister Modi has already started speaking about his backward status. In his election rallies across Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, he has been talking of his ‘pichda (OBC)’ status and slamming the Congress for being anti-backward. This line would soon become the party line,” said Mirzapur-based political expert Rajesh Patel.
“I won’t be surprised if the Centre decides to implement the Rohini Commission report in a bid to counter the growing clamour for caste census,” Patel said.
As if on cue, SBSP spokesman Piyush Mishra said, “We demand that the Rohini Commission report be implemented forthwith so that it can be known why strong backward castes don’t want lesser among the backward castes to benefit.”
Mishra also raised another issue. “Bihar’s caste census exercise has demarcated Hindus into different castes but shown Muslims as one homogenous group. Why? Muslims too are divided into many castes and subcastes. Shouldn’t we understand this as an attempt to weaken Hindus?” he asked.
“We demand that Rohini commission recommendations be implemented immediately so that we know how some influential castes have eaten up the share of most backwards,” said SBSP leader Arun Rajbhar amid growing buzz that the Centre could implement the Rohini Commission report submitted sometime back.
During the monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh assembly, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had, in response to persistent demands for a caste census from major opposition parties, categorically stated that the state government didn’t have any such plans for a similar exercise.
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, the BJP’s OBC face in UP, too dismissed the demand, stating those who couldn’t ensure “jaatigat nyay (justice to all castes)” during their regime were now raising the issue of caste census for political reasons.
Sometime back, it was Maurya who had surprised everyone by stating that neither he nor his party BJP had any problems with the caste census -- a line which had got the Samajwadi Party active.
“By supporting the demand for a caste census, the BJP’s deputy CM Keshav Prasad has now raised questions about his own party’s governments at the Centre and in U.P. Akhilesh Yadav was the first to raise the caste census demand and has since done that continuously.
“Now will Yogiji tell when a Bihar-like caste census would be ordered in U.P,” the SP had tweeted from its official handle. Maurya subsequently withdrew from his position and toed a more comfortable political line on the issue.