“Why did your parents forgot to hold caste census?”: Jitan Ram Manjhi hits back at Tejashwi Yadav

Patna (Bihar) [India], September 1 (ANI): Amid the row over the demand for a nationwide caste census by the opposition, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi posed a pointed question to Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, asking why the latter’s parents forgot to conduct it during their rule.

“Our question is that when his parents ruled Bihar for 15 years, why did they forget this at that time, or when he (Tejashwi Yadav) himself was the Deputy Chief Minister when he said that so many teachers have been recruited, did he forget it at that time? And today, when he is out of power, then he is remembering it,” the Union Minister said.

Earlier in the day, Tejashwi Yadav advocated for the nationwide caste census and the inclusion of the 65 per cent quota increase in Bihar in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution and said that all the big socialist leaders, from time to time, talked about castes.

The RJD also held a state-wide one-day sit-in protest with the demand for a nationwide caste census and the inclusion of the 65 per cent quota increase in Bihar in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

Leader of opposition in the state assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, also participated in the protest from the party office on Beerchand Patel Path.

Hitting out at the BJP, the RJD leader said that the ruling party wants to keep the poor as poor all their lives.

“BJP wants the son of a garbage collector and the next generation to clean drains his entire life…Those who are beggars should be kept as beggars all their lives. This is the mentality of the BJP…All the big socialist leaders, from time to time, talked about caste. The great men who were our leaders, all talked about reservation and talked about those sections that are at the bottom of society, whether Dalit, tribal, or backward,” the RJD leader said, while speaking at the protest rally.

“Even today, you will see that discrimination happens in society…Today, when we talk of the caste census, people say that we are trying to divide society… It should be found out what is the condition of people from different castes… Poverty is our enemy and we should work to remove it,” he added.

While talking to the media, the RJD leader also took on the Janata Dal (United) demanding the party make its stand clear on the issue of caste census.

“I just have a question for the JD(U) – whether they want reservation that was increased by the Mahagathbandhan government to be included in the 9th Schedule (of Constitution) or not?” he asked.