Congress criticizes PM Modi’s position on the caste census conducted by the Bihar government under the Mahagathbandhan

The Congress questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, urging him to abandon his “silence” on the subject of the caste census carried out in Bihar by his “old new ally,” Nitish Kumar.

Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary of the Congress, asked the prime minister several questions before to his rally in Jamui, Bihar. “Today, the Prime Minister is visiting Jamui, Bihar. The following are the topics that the people of Bihar want to hear him address, but it is doubtful that they will ever come up in his propaganda-filled speeches: When the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act was repealed in 2006, Bihar was the first state to do so. Farmers are guaranteed MSP for their crops by APMCs. For the farmers of Bihar, 97% of whom have tiny or marginal landholdings, their removal has meant tragedy.”

“The Modi administration initially tried to eliminate APMCs statewide via the “three black farm laws,” and it still denies farmers guaranteed MSPs, he claimed, despite the policy decision’s failure.

He asked the prime minister to explain why he was attempting to replicate this model throughout the country and what advantages farmers in Bihar had seen as a result of the state’s APMCs being abolished.

“Bihar has the unfortunate distinction of having the highest rates of out-migration and unemployment in India. 32% of young people in Bihar are not enrolled in school, working, or receiving training. According to Ramesh, family members leave the state for employment in more than 50% of Bihari families.

He emphasized that as part of its “Bharti Bharosa Guarantee,” the Congress has promised to fill 30 lakh government positions and guarantee the right to apprenticeships.

Ramesh questioned, “What is the BJP’s vision to help rescue Bihar’s youth from unemployment and hopelessness?”

He pointed out that the MGNREGA is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of households in a state that has such high rates of young unemployment and rural misery.

However, this important plan always fails when the BJP governs Bihar. With 25 million fewer person days authorized for 2023–24 than the previous year, the average number of days of work per family decreased from 47.16 to 43.85. Merely 0.4% of the 5.35 million households in Bihar that made labor demands were able to take advantage of the 100 days of work that the program provided,” he stated.

According to Ramesh, around 800 individuals, largely women, took part in a walkout in Bihar’s Vaishali district last December in protest of suspected fraud in the state program.

“MGNREGA recipients are legally obligated to get 100 days of employment and timely payment from the Modi Sarkar. Are these current circumstances a true reflection of the ‘Modi ki Guarantee’?” he said.

PM Modi accused Nitish Kumar’s administration of “dividing the country in the name of caste” after his government issued Bihar’s caste census in October of last year, at the behest of the Congress and RJD.

“Having since joined hands with him, what does the PM think of the caste census conducted by his old new ally?” In response, Ramesh urged Prime Minister Modi to end his “silence” about the matter.

A caste census was published last year by the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ administration, headed by Nitish Kumar.