Ahead of his Bihar rally, the Congress has questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stance on the caste census data released by the Nitish Kumar government, which is now part of the BJP-led NDA. Jairam Ramesh, the Congress General Secretary in Charge of Communications, criticized the State’s situation, highlighting issues like unemployment and migration.
“When Nitish Kumar’s government, on the insistence of the Congress and RJD, released Bihar’s Caste Census in October last year, PM Modi accused him of ‘dividing the country in the name of caste’. Having since joined hands with him, what does the PM think of the caste census conducted by his old new ally?” Ramesh questioned. The Bihar caste census, released in October last year, revealed that Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) constitute more than 63 per cent of the state’s population.
Ramesh also criticized the Modi government’s policies regarding agriculture, particularly the abolition of Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs). He mentioned that Bihar was the first state to abolish the APMC Act in 2006, which has had negative repercussions for farmers in the state.
He also highlighted the issue of unemployment in Bihar, stating that 32 per cent of the state’s youth are not in education, employment, or training, and over 50 per cent of households have a family member migrating for work. Ramesh questioned the BJP’s vision for addressing unemployment and rural distress in Bihar.
Regarding the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Ramesh alleged that the scheme falters whenever the BJP is in power in Bihar. He claimed that the scheme provided fewer employment days per household when the BJP was in power, and only a small percentage of families demanding work were able to avail of the 100 days of employment guaranteed by the scheme.
Bihar will see polling in seven phases in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In the 2019 elections, the NDA secured victory on 39 out of 40 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan managed to secure only one seat.