Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Tuesday said that the Uttar Pradesh government should start conducting a caste survey right away. Though some parties are against it, this is the only way to do justice to the other backward classes (OBCs).
“The data of the caste census conducted by the Bihar government has been made public and intense discussions are going on. Some parties are definitely uncomfortable with this but for the BSP, this is the first step towards a long struggle for the constitutional rights of the OBCs,” Mayawati posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“The BSP is happy that the country’s politics is taking a new turn in favour of the neglected ‘Bahujan Samaj’, as a consequence of which even the most extreme “anti-caste” and “anti-Mandal” sects are worried for their future,” Mayawati said.
The BSP chief said although the UP government should now start a caste census or survey immediately in line with the sentiment of the public, “the right solution will be found only when the Central government conducts the caste census at the national level and gives people belonging to the marginalised sections their due rights.”
The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar had on Monday released findings of its much-awaited caste survey months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute 63% of the state’s total population.
According to the data, Bihar’s total population stood at a little over 13.07 crore, out of which the extremely backward classes (ECBs) at 36% were the largest social segment, followed by the OBC at 27.13%.