The Bihar caste census purposefully displayed an exaggerated number of Yadavs and Muslims. Amit Chauhan

 The Bihar caste census purposefully displayed an exaggerated number of Yadavs and Muslims. Amit Chauhan

Speaking at a rally in Muzaffarpur district's Patahi, Shah accused the Nitish Kumar administration of "Muslim appeasement (tushtikaran)" and issued a dire warning, saying that this might result in "big trouble" in places that border Bangladesh and Nepal (seemant kshetra).

According to Shah, the bloc's only goal is to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sunday saw the Minister of the Interior of the Union Amit Shah, accuse the Nitish Kumar administration in Bihar of "appeasement politics" by purposefully inflating the number of Muslims and Yadavs in the state's caste census while offering a "raw deal" to the backward classes collectively.

Speaking at a rally in Muzaffarpur district's Patahi, Shah accused the Nitish Kumar administration of "Muslim appeasement (tushtikaran)" and issued a dire warning, saying that this might result in "big trouble" in places that border Bangladesh and Nepal (seemant kshetra). Considered the primary strategist for the BJP, Shah drew attention to the fact that his party was in coalition with Nitish Kumar at the time the state government issued the caste survey order.

But we had no idea how Nitish Kumar would respond to pressure from Lalu Prasad, the head of the RJD. There is an exaggerated number of Yadavs and Muslims (abaadi badhaa kar dikha diya). Additionally, OBCs (pichhda) and EBCs (ati pichhda) have suffered injustice (anyay)," said Shah. The Congress, which has promised to conduct a national caste census if it is elected to power and has compared the survey to a "x-ray of society," is accused by the former president of the BJP of "having always been hostile towards OBCs."

Citing many Bihar cities that have recently seen small sectarian incidents—including Sasaram, Bihar Sharif, Purnea, Katihar, and Bhagalpur—the Union home minister said, "In such places as well as fact, the whole of Bihar, a politics of Muslim accommodation is on display." "If an end does not go to this politics of appeasement, we could potentially be in for significant difficulties (bahut badi dikkat) in the seemant kshetra (border areas)," Shah said.

Shah attacked the opposition INDIA coalition, claiming that its only goal is to undermine Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both JD(U) and RJD are important members of this alliance. He also chastised the members of the INDIA coalition for their opposition to the building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the repeal of Article 370.

They had threatened to splatter blood on the streets should Article 370 be repealed. We moved forward. "Koi kankad bhi nahin pheka"—no one dared to throw even a pebble—said Shah. Additionally, he extended an invitation to the people of Bihar to go to Ayodhya on January 22, 2021, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi would dedicate the recently built temple.

"In the last two elections, the people of Bihar massively supported Modi. You awarded the NDA 39 of the state's 40 seats in 2019. Help us win every constituency this time," said Shah. The Union home minister, who spoke for about twenty minutes, started off by wishing everyone a happy Chhath, the most celebrated holiday in Bihar that takes place a week after Diwali.

Shah also devoted a considerable portion of his address to stressing the actions done by the Modi administration for the development of OBCs, in a state where the BJP is seen as being mostly pro-upper caste. He drew attention to the fact that 27 members of the Union Council of Ministers, or around 35% of the total, were from the lower classes. Additionally, he emphasized that Lalu Prasad "failed to get the same done despite belonging in the Congress-led UPA which ruled the country for 10 years" as well as that the National Commission for OBCs received constitutional status during Modi's administration.

Shah also called Nitish Kumar a "palturam," someone who often swaps sides, for leaving the BJP to join the opposition. "It is unrealistic for Nitish Kumar to want to be the next prime minister; it would never happen. He was not even named convener of the INDIA alliance. It is his fault that 'Gundaraaj', the reign of goons, has returned to Bihar. "Palturam's" 2022 membership in the Mahagathbandhan "betrayed people's mandate," he said.

The JD(U) broke with the BJP last year and joined the Mahagathbandhan coalition, which is made up of the Left, RJD, and Congress. He said that the JD(U) leader has started to feel restrained and has been "seeking a way out," saying that the partnership between bitter enemies Kumar and Prasad is akin to trying to mix "oil with water."

"Nitish Kumar began criticizing the Congress for this reason. But it would be in vain," Shah said, referencing the chief minister of Bihar's recent statement that the grand old party had been too preoccupied with the five state assembly elections to give the INDIA alliance much thought. This was Shah's first trip to Bihar after the release on October 2 of the caste-based survey results.

The poll revealed that over 60% of the state's population was made up of OBCs and EBCs, who have historically supported the JD(U) and its partner, the RJD. The poll, the accuracy of which has been questioned by the BJP, put the number of powerful upper castes at around 10%.

With the exception of Kishanganj, which the Congress won, the BJP-led NDA had taken 39 of the 40 seats in Bihar in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.