BJP plans OBC survey to blunt Oppn's caste census campaign

Union home minister Amit Shah’s comments on the caste census in Muzaffarpur, Bihar on Sunday, were part of a carefully choreographed campaign to counter what the Opposition believes is its most potent weapon against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2024.

- Sunetra Choudhury

They seemed to mark a change in the party’s strategy -- from avoiding the topic altogether, to an endorsement of the survey. HT learns that in a November 1 meeting of the party’s central election committee -- a body that is helmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also has Shah and party president JP Nadda as its members -- it was decided that the BJP would announce an other backward classes (OBC) survey to blunt the possible impact of any Opposition campaign on the issue. This was then firmed up at a high-level meeting on OBC outreach the very next day. The modalities are yet to be worked out, but an exercise to the effect could be announced by the Union government shortly, people aware of the matter said.

“The Congress keeps on parroting the promise of a caste census with the sole aim of dividing the Hindu vote,’’ said a senior BJP leader who asked not to be named. “We will blunt that strategy by announcing an OBC survey too. They will only make an issue out of it if we are seen to be opposed to it. if we all agree and we also promise a survey, then they won’t divide the Hindu vote.’’

To be sure, the BJP has pointed out that it was part of the government in Bihar when the caste survey was announced. On Tuesday, it supported Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s move to increase reservation in the state to 75%.