Patna, Oct 13 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) on Thursday charged the BJP, its former ally, with working on an agenda to do away with reservations for backward classes.
JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan also alleged that the recent Patna High Court order that declared as illegal quotas for OBCs/EBCs in urban local body polls in the state, was a result of a conspiracy .
Lalan made the allegations at a demonstration held near the historic Gandhi Maidan here.
The demonstration was part of a statewide programme of the JD(U) called aarakshan virodhi Bhajapaa ka pol khol' (exposing the anti-reservation BJP).
When Mohan Bhagwat had said, ahead of Bihar assembly polls of 2015, that there was a need for a review of the reservation system, we were apprehensive. Over the years, the BJP's agenda to do away with reservations has grown only more obvious , alleged the JD(U) president, whose party quit the NDA two months ago.
He was referring to an interview of the RSS chief, which had led to a huge backlash and resulted in the trouncing of the BJP by the Mahagathbandhan' comprising JD(U), Lalu Prasad's RJD and Congress, a year and a half after the state was swept by the Modi wave in the Lok Sabha polls.
The Bihar CM, who is the JD(U)'s de facto leader, had returned to the NDA in 2017 and Lalan pointed out that resolutions in favour of a nationwide caste census were thereafter passed twice by the bicameral state legislature.
The chief minister also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press the demand for a caste census. The Centre did not agree since it would have hindered the BJP's agenda to scrap reservations , claimed Lalan.
Notably, while all BJP MLAs and MLCs had supported the resolutions passed by the Bihar legislature, the Centre refused to undertake a headcount of castes other than the SCs and the STs.
Kumar, who rose to prominence during the Mandal wave of the 1990s, announced that his government will undertake a headcount of all castes in the state earlier this year.
The Patna High Court order of October 4, however, was an embarrassment for the government and the BJP has latched on to the opportunity to squarely blame it on the CM's obstinate refusal to comply with Supreme Court's directions with regard to reservations in municipal elections.
Lalan rebutted the BJP's charge, saying municipal elections have been held in Bihar under the reservation system struck down by the court thrice, in 2007, 2012 and 2017 and the court order has followed a new conspiracy .
Although the JD(U) chief did not elaborate on the nai saazish' (new conspiracy) he was driving at, senior party leaders like Upendra Kushwaha have spoken of petitioners, having alleged BJP links, challenging the quota system and saffron party bigwigs privately celebrating the judgement that deprives the OBCs and the EBCs of reservations.
Meanwhile, the BJP, which primarily draws its support from among the upper castes but must win over a section of OBCs and EBCs to hold its own against the Mahagathbandhan' which seems stronger than before, continued to attack the chief minister over municipal polls issue.
At a press conference here, state BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal said the party will stage similar demonstrations on October 17 at all district and block headquarters to expose (pol khol) the chief minister who has cheated the OBCs and EBCs.
