Manoj Jha questions Centre’s intentions for caste census

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) spokesperson Manoj Jha addresses a press conference in Patna, Monday, June 9, 2025 | Photo Credit: -

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha on Monday (June 9, 2025) raised serious concerns over the Centre’s intentions for the caste census.

Mr. Jha said the policies of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were not only anti-reservation, but also conspiring to mislead the Backward Classes (BC) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC).

He alleged that the government was pretending in the name of a caste census, and there was a lack of transparency in the entire process.

“After the painful incident of Pahalgam, suddenly the Prime Minister realised that it is necessary to conduct a caste census as per the demand of most of the people, so he announced it in a hurry. But the move, character and face of the BJP, which has always been anti-Bahujan and against reservation, is now visible,” Mr. Jha said while addressing the press at the party office in Patna.

“Our national president Lalu Prasad ji has been warning that those who follow Bunch of Thoughts politics on the ideas of Guru Golwalkar can never be serious about reservation, which is now clearly visible,” he added.

Mr. Jha asserted that the Centre wanted to create confusion in the name of the caste census and questioned the reason behind the government announcing that population figures for OBCs would not be released. He added that such figures were necessary as per Article 340 of the Constitution, he added.

“When the castes are counted and the figures are not revealed, then which policy will be implemented towards reservation and increasing the reservation in the private sector? NITI Aayog and other agencies can work on planning, social, economic upliftment and increasing reservation on the basis of data only when the data comes from the government level,” Mr. Jha said.

Accompanied by the party’s chief spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav and national vice-president of the party Uday Narayan Choudhary at the press briefing, Mr. Jha pointed said that besides party leader Tejashwi Yadav, leaders from the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) were also in favour of the figures being published.

Mr. Choudhary, on the other hand, said that the caste census was a hoax and nothing had been disclosed in this regard. He explained that the caste survey was conducted in Bihar under pressure from Mr. Yadav. Still, the 65% reservation benefit was not being given because the intention of the BJP and the Nitish Kumar government was not right, he charged.

Tejashwi’s demands

Earlier in the day, in a post on X, Mr. Yadav addressed Chief Miniser Kumar about responding to his letter dated June 5 on increasing the reservation to 85% for all deprived classes in Bihar.

“Nitish ji you did not respond to my letter, is it because you have no answer or your officials do not show you the letters? The parties that beat the drum of social justice, on whose strength the Modi government is running, why are they failing to include the 65% reservation limit increased by our government in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution?” Mr. Yadav asked.

“The Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Upendra Kushwaha should speak out on the issue of reservation against this injustice faced by Dalit, Adivasi, backward, and extremely backward classes. Politics is not just about clinging to power,” he added.

Mr. Yadav further said, “If all these people cannot even get this small demand fulfilled by the Prime Minister, then their politics and staying in such an alliance is shameful. If Nitish Ji is unable to speak on this issue in front of the Prime Minister and Home Minister, then he should call a special one-day session of the Assembly, and then see how we get it implemented.”

Published - June 09, 2025 10:45 pm IST