Bihar Caste Survey
Bihar Caste Survey: Bihar has taken a historic step by releasing data from a comprehensive caste-based survey. This makes it the first state in India to do so. The report sheds light on the composition of various social groups in the state. It particularly highlights the representation of Backward Classes.
Key Findings
- The survey indicates that 36% of Bihar’s population belongs to the Extremely Backward Classes, while 27.1% are classified as Backward Classes.
- Scheduled Castes make up 19.7% of the population, Scheduled Tribes comprise 1.7%, and the general population constitutes 15.5%.
- Notably, the Yadav community, to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, is the largest sub-group within the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, accounting for 14.27% of all OBCs.
Political Implications
The release of this data is expected to trigger a political debate, with potential calls to increase quotas for OBCs, currently capped at 27%. According to the survey, OBCs make up a significant 63.1% of the state’s population.
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This data underscores the numerical strength and electoral influence of OBCs in Bihar, which could have repercussions in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Political Responses
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar welcomed the data release and announced plans for a meeting of nine parties in the Bihar Assembly to discuss the caste-based census.
आज गांधी जयंती के शुभ अवसर पर बिहार में कराई गई जाति आधारित गणना के आंकड़े प्रकाशित कर दिए गए हैं। जाति आधारित गणना के कार्य में लगी हुई पूरी टीम को बहुत-बहुत बधाई !
— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) October 2, 2023
जाति आधारित गणना के लिए सर्वसम्मति से विधानमंडल में प्रस्ताव पारित किया गया था।…
Tejashwi Yadav hailed the report as a “watershed” moment, emphasizing that government policies should now respect this data.
Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi’s father and party leader, praised the release. They also highlighted the challenges faced during the survey.
BJP’s Reaction
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expressed skepticism about the Bihar Caste Survey, with Union Minister Giriraj Singh calling it “eyewash.”
The party’s state leadership mentioned that the BJP had supported the survey and would provide an official response after reviewing the methodology.
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Regarding increasing OBC quotas, the BJP pointed to the government’s commitment to studying various findings and taking necessary action.
Summing Up
The Bihar caste-based survey data release has significant implications for the state’s politics and policies. It highlights the dominance of OBCs in Bihar and is likely to lead to discussions on revisiting reservation quotas to accommodate this demographic reality. This development sets the stage for a crucial political discourse in Bihar and beyond.
