Bihar Caste Survey: Nitish-Lalu Master Stroke?

Political watchers say the caste survey report was made public to play the OBC-EBC card and stall the BJP's campaign to win most of Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha seats.
M I Khan reports from Patna.

Bihar's Mahagathbandhan government led by Nitish Kumar made the much awaited caste survey known locally as Jati Adharit Ganna public on Monday, October 2, 2023.

It is widely seen as a move to strengthen the ruling Mahagathbandhan's social support base among Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) and Dalits, fulfilling a significant promise to these communities ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In August, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that the caste survey was complete and its report and all the data would be made public soon.

Bihar's caste survey, Nitish added, would serve as a role model for the country and followed by other states.

Till last year the state government described it as a caste census, but when it was challenged in the Patna high court and the Supreme Court, it forced the Bihar government to changed it as a caste survey.

Earlier, the governments of Rajasthan and Karnataka conducted caste-based surveys, but did not make their data public.

The caste survey report was formally made public by Bihar Development Commissioner Vivek Kumar Singh at a media interaction in Patna.

The last caste census was conducted in 1931.

According to the Bihar caste survey report, there are 215 castes in Bihar. The total population of Bihar is 13.7 crore (137 millionn) that include 36 percent EBCs, 27 percent OBCs, 19 percent Scheduled Castes and 1.68 percent Scheduled Tribes.

The caste survey report revealed that the population of upper castes is 15.52 percent including 2.86 percent Bhumihars, 3.66 percent Brahmins, 3.45 percent Rajputs and 0.60 percent Kayasths.

As per the report Chief Minister Kumar's Kurmi caste numbers 2.87 percent. RJD chief Lalu Prasad's Yadav caste numbers 14.26 percent, one of the highest among all the castes.

State Bharatiya Janata Party President Samrat Kushwaha's Koeri or Kushwaha (OBC) caste numbers 4.21 percent.

The caste survey report revealed that Bihar's Hindu population is 81.9 percent followed by 17.7 percent Muslims, 0.05 percent Christians, 0.01 percent Sikhs, 0.08 percent Buddhists, 0.0096 percent Jains and the rest from other religions.

In the caste-ridden politics of Bihar, the caste survey report and its data are set to heat politics in coming days.

The state government is also likely to release socio-economic report and data of all castes.

Political watchers say the caste survey report was made public to play the OBC-EBC card and stall the BJP's campaign to win most of Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha seats.

Leaders from Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United, a major ally in the ruling Mahagathbandhan, have repeatedly accused the BJP leadership of obstructing the caste survey in Bihar.

The conflict between the Mahagathbandhan and the BJP revolves around the intervention by the central government in the hearing of petitions challenging the Patna high court's decision to proceed with the caste survey in Bihar.

In early August, the Patna high court granted permission to complete the caste survey.

The court's nearly 100-page ruling dismissed all public interest litigation seeking suspension of the survey.

The Supreme Court declined to halt the high court's verdict.

Following the court's decision, the Bihar government promptly initiated the third and final phase of the survey.

The majority of the fieldwork was concluded by mid-August, and the remaining collected data was uploaded by the month end.

State Advocate General P K Sahi affirmed the government's right to conduct the caste survey, highlighting its authority to gather socio-economic data that informs welfare policies.

The first phase of caste survey was launched in January 2023 aimed to identify the number of households across Bihar.

Subsequent phases involved collecting caste and socio-economic data from each household.

The second phase of the caste survey began in April, despite opposition from influential segments of society.

Nitish and Lalu, champions of Mandal politics, have advocated a caste census for long. They argue this data will inform targeted development plans and uplift historically deprived communities.

While the BJP-led central government rejected a national caste census two years ago, the ongoing dispute highlights the complex interplay between politics, social dynamics, and the pursuit of accurate socio-economic data.

Since 2015, Lalu has been demanding that socio-economic and caste data from Census 2011 be made public to 'ensure the empowerment of all those lagging behind in development'.

The caste survey data will strengthen the demand for raising quotas for the OBCs, who are estimated to be more than 50 per cent of the population and presently get 27 per cent reservation.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com