Perhaps observing shift in support of backward caste votes Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said that he always stood for reservation in proportion to the population. There can not be two opinions on this issue, Nitish said adding that the percentage of population can only be known through Census.
The chief minister was speaking at Valmikinagar parliamentary seats which is going for the by-poll after the death of the sitting Janata Dal (United) MP Baidyanath Mahto. The chief minister’s statement prompted senior BJP leader and Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to clarify his party’s stand on the issue.
He said that the BJP has always supported the policy of reservation as provided in the constitution. He further claimed that the BJP government had done enough for the improvement in the status of the backward castes. Not only that, the Narendra Modi government through Constitutional amendment earmarked 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker section of the upper castes.
Nitish’s latest remarks exposes his nervousness at a time when a large number of extremely backward castes votes are reportedly moving away from the NDA.
