Union Home Minister Amit Shah on his first visit to Bihar after the caste-based survey was published by the Nitish Kumar government claimed that the population of Yadavs and Muslims has been increased in the survey thereby minimizing the rights of the Extremely Backward Classes.
“In the survey, the population of Yadavs and Muslims has increased and the population of Extremely Backward Classes diminished. The Lalu-Nitish combine has wronged the backward and extremely backward classes,” Shah said in a public meeting in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur on Sunday.
Shah said that though the Bharatiya Janata Party had supported the survey they had no idea that Nitish Kumar under the pressure of Lalu Prasad Yadav will increase the population of Yadavs and the Muslim community in the survey.
“This survey is a betrayal. We had supported it. But we had no idea that under the pressure of Lalu, Yadav and Muslim population will be increased and the backward and extremely backward classes will be wronged,” he said.
The Home Minister also asked that since the INDIA bloc has claimed that the majority community will get more rights, will they declare their Chief Minister to be from the Economically Backward Class?
“The INDIA alliance says ‘Jiski Jitni Abadi, Itni Uski Hissedari’. Okay then. The majority class group as per your survey is from the Economically Backward Class. Will you then appoint your Chief Minister from the Economically Backward Class?”
The Home Minister said that the Nitish-Lalu duo as well as the Congress has always disrespected the backward classes.
“They, along with the Congress, have always disrespected and opposed the backward classes. But Modi has always regarded them with respect,” he said.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that OBCs are given less representation in the present government, Amit Shah said, “27 ministers in the Modi cabinet are OBCs.”
Shah also asked why the Congress government has not given constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes during the time they were in power.
“PM Modi gave constitutional status to the OBC Commission. Lalu was in the UPA government for 10 years. Why did you not give constitutional status to OBCs?”
Listing out the benefits given by the Narendra Modi government for the Other Backward Classes, Shah said, “PM Modi has given states the opportunity to denote OBC lists. In Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodalaya Vidyalatyas and Sainik Schools, OBCs have been given 27 per cent reservation. In the IITs, fees of all backward and EBCs were waived.”
“In the NEET exam, OBCs and extremely backwards classes were given reservation. In petrol pumps and gas stations, backward and extremely backward were given 27 per cent reservation…,” he added.
Shah’s visit to Bihar marks the seventh time since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered a setback in the state after the party, which was in alliance with Janata Dal-United chief Nitish Kumar and was in power in the state, collapsed.
This was after Kumar changed sides, joined hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and formed the government with him as the Chief Minister yet again. (ANI)
