The government is proudly presenting the figures on which Nitish Kumar should be ashamed.

The JDU-RJD coalition government of Bihar presented the data related to caste census in the Bihar Assembly on Tuesday. In these figures, the government has given information about the educational status of the population in the state. It was also told what percentage of people in which caste are poor in the state. What percentage of people of which caste are educated?

Many questions are being raised due to the manner in which the Bihar government presented this report in the Assembly amid the uproar by the opposition parties. Bihar is perhaps the only unique state in the country in which no political party can keep itself away from the sin of the plight of Bihar. The pathetic condition of Bihar can be gauged from the report on which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, his father Lalu Yadav and to some extent the opposition BJP should also be embarrassed. Nitish government proudly presented that report inside the House.

Lalu Yadav became the Chief Minister of Bihar in 1990 with the support of BJP by ousting Congress from power in Bihar. Nitish Kumar was with Lalu Yadav in 1990. After the increasing influence of Rabri Devi’s brothers and the treatment done by the then Chief Minister Lalu Yadav towards Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh in the presence of Nitish, Nitish Kumar separated from Lalu Yadav and formed his own party. Kept fighting together with BJP. And then finally, after 15 years, in the year 2005, Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister of Bihar by removing the Lalu family (Rabri Devi) from the power of Bihar. After this, Nitish Kumar remained the Chief Minister for 8 consecutive years with the support of BJP. BJP not only supported but also participated in the government. After Narendra Modi came on the national scene, Nitish Kumar kept forming the government sometimes with BJP and sometimes with Lalu Yadav. Nitish Kumar’s Deputy Chief Minister and ministers kept changing but the post of Chief Minister remained with Nitish Kumar. First Lalu Yadav, then his wife and then Nitish Kumar, these three together have been ruling Bihar since 1990, that is, they have been the makers of Bihar’s destiny for the last 33 years and even after that, how pathetic the condition of Bihar has become. This is shown by the figures presented by his government in the Assembly.

Just look at these figures. According to the data presented by the Bihar government, there are 32.1 percent people in the state who have never gone to school. 22.67% of Bihar’s population has received education only from class 1st to 5th. The number of people studying from class 11 to 12 is only 9.19 percent and the number of people studying till graduation in Bihar is only 7 percent.

Forget about the general class, but if we talk about the Muslims in Bihar in the name of secularism and social justice where Lalu-Nitish are ruling Bihar for the last 33 years, then 25.84 percent of the Sheikhs are poor. 22.2 percent families in Pathan and 17.61 percent families in Syed are still poor. Despite 33 years of rule of Lalu/Nitish, who became the messiah in the name of social justice, 29.87 percent oilmen, 34.56 percent Mallah, 32.99 percent Kanu, 34.75 percent Dhanuk, 35.88 percent Noniya, 38.37 percent barber families are poor.

This figure in itself is quite shameful for the political parties ruling any state for 33 years that even today the number of poor families in the general category in Bihar is 25.09 percent. Despite availing the benefits of reservation, 33.16 per cent of the families belonging to the backward class are poor, while 33.58 per cent of the families belonging to the extremely backward class are poor. There are 42.93 percent poor families in Scheduled Castes, while 42.70 percent families in Scheduled Tribes are poor.

Certainly, the leaders ruling Bihar are responsible for this condition of Bihar but at the same time the voters of Bihar are also no less responsible because despite this bad condition, the rulers of Bihar proudly presented this report in the Assembly. They are presenting and by giving the lollipop of reservation, in the name of social justice, they are once again trying to become the messiah of the Dalits, backward and extremely backward castes and the public will also make them the messiah. No one will ask them who is responsible for this plight of Bihar? Why is there so much poverty in the Scheduled Caste and OBC communities of Bihar even after reservation? After all, who is responsible for the benefits of reservation not reaching them?

– Santosh Pathak,

The author is a senior journalist and columnist.