“Yadavs were 11 per cent of the total population in 1931 when Odisha and Jharkhand, too, were a part of Bihar. Nearly a century later, they are said to be 14 per cent. What is so irregular in that?” he said.
Had it been the state government’s intent to fudge statistics for electoral gains, the numbers of the chief minister’s caste would have also been increased, he added.
The survey shows Kurmis, the caste to which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar belongs, as less than 3 per cent of the state’s population.
“We are thankful to the CM for the initiative that is going to set the trend for the nation. The BJP should remember that we had to undertake the exercise only because of the stubborn refusal of the Narendra Modi government to hold a caste census for the whole country.
“In my view, the data compiled as part of the survey is in order. If the BJP thinks otherwise, it should get a caste census done by its own government at the Centre,” the RJD leader said. Yadav also attacked BJP president JP Nadda for making remarks critical of regional parties at a function he attended here earlier this week.
“Nadda should remember that states are integral to the nation, and parties like ours have a much better understanding of realities on the ground than the BJP,” he said.