Survey's socio-eco data to be placed in Bihar assembly: CM Nitish Kumar

The second part of Bihar's caste survey containing socio-economic data of the population will be tabled in the Bihar assembly in the forthcoming winter session, chief minister Nitish Kumar has said.

"We will work in the interest of all citizens living in Bihar and formulate policies after consulting all parties," Kumar said during an all-party meeting in Patna on Tuesday, a day after the state government released the caste survey data on population of each caste and community.

BJP and some of its allies questioned the data. "Several people from Extremely Backward Castes have complained that their numbers have been reduced as part of a conspiracy and numbers of a particular religion and some castes were exaggerated, which needs to be investigated," BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi alleged, while speaking to ET.


LJP's Chirag Paswan alleged the data was released to gain political mileage and figures of some castes were inflated for political benefit. "There are many marginal castes among SC/ST which have not been shown in the survey, as per their population. There are many castes in Backward Classes whose figures are not representative to their share," Paswan alleged, while speaking to ET. "Even in Paswan caste, the figures have been understated."

However, finance minister Vijay Chaudhary denied the allegations. "Do they have any basis for making allegations? If they have proof, they should produce it and it will be investigated. Raising questions just for political benefit won't work," he told ET.

Those who attended the all-party meeting included deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha, Leader of Opposition of Legislative Council Hari Sahni, HAM leader Jitan Manjhi and leaders from RJD, Congress, CPI-ML, CPI, CPI-M and AIMIM.