Tejashwi rejects charge of caste survey manipulation to suit RJD

Patna, Oct 7: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday rejected the charge levelled by opposition BJP and its allies that findings of the caste survey have been manipulated to suit his RJD’s prospects.
Talking to reporters here, he pointed out that his caste was the most populous even as per the 1931 Census, and told the BJP to press the demand for a nationwide caste census if it was not happy with the state government’s exercise.
“Yadavs were 11 per cent of the total population in 1931 when Odisha and Jharkhand, too, were a part of Bihar. Nearly a century later, they are said to be 14 per cent. What is so irregular in that?” Yadav said.
Had it been the state government’s intent to fudge statistics for electoral gains, the numbers of the chief minister’s caste would have also been increased, he said.
The survey shows Kurmis, the caste to which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar belongs, as less than three per cent of the state’s population.
Yadav also attacked BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda for making remarks critical of regional parties at a function he attended here earlier this week. (PTI)