Everyone has their own bets in the politics of Bihar on caste census

• RJD wants to recover lost Aadhaar in OBC
• JDU does not want to allow RJD to take lead on social justice front
• BJP does not want to lose the base built outside the front

On the question of caste census, the anti-partisan parties in Bihar are on the same platform. Before the delegation of ten parties led by Nitish met the PM, former deputy CM of the state Sushil Modi also expressed the party’s commitment to this demand. In fact, in this most sensitive state in the matter of politics of social justice, all the parties are trying different political bets on the pretext of caste census.

In fact, in the last one and a half decades, the base of RJD has been limited to Yadavs and Muslims. RJD now wants to regain its lost base among other castes included in OBC on this pretext. This is the reason why RJD is consistently vocal on this issue. RJD does not want to miss any opportunity in this matter. It feels that by being outspoken on this important issue of social justice, it can retain its old influence among castes other than Yadav in OBCs.

On the other hand, Nitish is understanding this political bet of RJD. He does not want RJD to have an edge over JD(U) on the social justice front. This is the reason why whenever the issue of caste census caught fire, Nitish tried to do it in his favour. Twice the Bihar Assembly passed a unanimous resolution in its favor. Just because the RJD does not get an edge in this matter.

Why BJP came in support ?
BJP leader Janak Ram was also included in the delegation that met the PM. Before this meeting, Sushil Modi supported the caste census. In fact, after a long struggle, the BJP has been able to make inroads among the Dalits and the Most Backward Castes. He knows that by adopting a loose approach on this issue, he will again be labeled as a forward caste party. This is the reason why BJP supported the resolution related to this in the assembly both times.

Social justice still important in Bihar
All the parties know that the political land of Bihar is still very fertile for the politics of social justice. The state has given a message to this effect on two important occasions. In the nineties, after the implementation of the Mandal Commission’s recommendations, where Hindutva politics gained strength in other states, the politics of social justice played out in Bihar. After this, in the 2017 assembly elections, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement regarding review of reservation, while the Lalu-Nitish pair got a thumping victory, the BJP had to face a bad situation.

The only symbolic advance in the state
From the numerical point of view, the presence of the forward class in the state is merely symbolic. While the OBC population is more than 50 per cent in the state, the Forward population is less than 12 per cent. This is the reason that on the question of caste census, where Uttar Pradesh becomes a reason for the BJP, Bihar becomes a compulsion for the BJP.