The BJP on Sunday called the caste-based survey conducted in Bihar by chief minister Nitish Kumar-led Grand Alliance government a “sham” that was intended to do injustice to the Extremely Backward Castes (EBC).

“I have come here to tell the Other Backward Castes (OBC) and EBC in Bihar that this survey is a sham. We had supported it, but did not know that the numbers of the Yadavs and Muslims would be inflated under pressure from Lalu Prasad (RJD chief) to do injustice to the EBC,” Union home minister Amit Shah said at a public rally in Muzaffarpur.

Recalling that the INDI Alliance (the name used by the BJP for the INDIA bloc) was asserting “jiski jitni aabadi, uski utni hissedari (share as per the population of castes)”, Shah challenged it to choose a person from the EBC as the chief minister of Bihar.

“According to the survey, the maximum numbers are of the EBC. Will you announce that the INDI Alliance chief minister in Bihar will be from this category? Lalu should reply to this. My friends, they (Lalu and Nitish) have always indulged in minority appeasement,” Shah added.

The survey counted the castes under 215 heads. It pegged Bihar’s population at 13.07 crore of which 36.02 per cent were EBC, 27.13 per cent OBC, 19.65 per cent Scheduled Castes (SC), 15.52 per cent general category castes and 1.68 per cent Scheduled Tribes (ST). The report has also revealed that the Hindus were 81.99 per cent, Muslims 17.70 per cent while other religions comprised the rest.

The second part of the survey report, including socio-economic data of the people, would be tabled in the state legislature during the winter session that begins on Monday.

The BJP had half-heartedly supported the survey apparently not wanting to be caught in the cross hairs of various castes, especially the SC, OBC and EBC. However, it had been squirming since the numbers were released on October 2 and Nitish, Lalu and his deputy chief minister son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav had hinted at revisiting reservation in the light of the figures.

The survey is being seen as a masterstroke by Nitish to pit caste identities to counter the BJP’s planks of communalism, religious polarisation and ultra-nationalism.

Several BJP leaders had alleged faults in conducting the survey and the population of castes since the report came out, but never criticised the survey itself till the Union home minister did.

Asserting that the ruling alliance tried to project itself as the well-wisher of the backward castes, Shah asked the people not to be bluffed by the caste-based survey.

“The decision for this survey was taken when the BJP was a part of the Nitish government. It was the BJP’s decision. However, the survey increased the Yadav and Muslim population and decreased the numbers of the EBC and OBC,” he said.