Bihar caste-based survey: It's just an eye wash, says Union Minister Giriraj Singh

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday said that a caste-based survey will create 'bhram' (illusion) among the public of Bihar. His comment came hours after the Bihar government released the data of caste-based survey conducted in the state.

"The caste-based survey will do nothing more than spreading 'bhram' among the poor and public at large in Bihar. They should have given a report card that Nitish Kumar who ruled the state for 18 years and Lalu Yadav ruled the state for 15 years but did not develop the state. The data of caste survey is just an eye wash," said the Union minister.

CM Kumar's Nitish Kumar's reaction

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hailed the team that engaged in the work of caste-based enumeration and said the data of the survey will help to make appropriate policies for the people from every section. His reaction came hours after a caste-based survey issued by the state government.

Lalu Yadav reacts

The Former CM of Bihar, Lalu Yadav also reacted over the caste-based survey and took a swipe at the Centre saying that despite many conspiracies of the BJP, the Bihar government released the caste-based survey.

"Today on Gandhi Jayanti, we all have become witnesses of this historic moment. Despite many conspiracies of BJP, legal hurdles, today Bihar government released the caste-based survey," said Lalu Yadav in a post.

"These figures will set an example for the country in making holistic plans for proper development and progress of the deprived, neglected and poor and in giving representation to marginalized groups in proportion to the population," Yadav added.

Earlier, the Bihar government released the findings of its much-awaited caste-based survey, which revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute a whopping 63 per cent of the state’s total population. The survey also stated that Yadavs, the OBC group to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, was the largest in terms of population, accounting for 14.27 per cent of the total.

Notably, the survey was ordered last year after the Narendra Modi government at the Centre made it clear that it would not be able to undertake a headcount of castes other than SCs and STs as part of the census.