Patna, Feb. 6: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today asked the Centre to split the backward castes entitled to 27 per cent quota in government jobs into two categories — extremely backward castes (EBCs) and other backward castes (OBCs) — to ensure the benefit in proportion to their respective social and educational backwardness.
“We have already categorised the backward castes into the EBCs and OBCs in Bihar. The EBCs are grouped under annexure-1, deserving a relatively better deal over the OBCs who are grouped under annexure-2,” Nitish told reporters on the sidelines of his weekly janata darbar.
“The measure, if adopted at the national level, will help the relatively more poor among the backward classes to benefit more from the job quota scheme.”
Nitish has reaped huge political harvest in the state by dividing the monolith Mandal block that Lalu Prasad once thrived on.
He roped in the EBCs by giving them more share in jobs and local bodies in comparison to the OBCs, which comprise only four castes — Yadavs, Koiries, Kurmis and a section of Banias.
The EBCs are made up of over 100 castes, far more in number than the OBCs. The nurturing of the EBCs came to be known as Nitish’s famed “social engineering”, which eventually allowed him to effectively split the Mandal block that Lalu commanded and replace the 15-year-old Lalu-Rabri regime in November 2005.
Nitish’s advocacy for more share to the EBCs in jobs at the national level is also in conformity with what a section of Congress leaders has been demanding.
The chief minister’s bid to champion the cause of the EBCs is seen as a move to expand his “model of politics” at the national level, though he clarified, “It (stratification of the backward classes) has been our policy since our existence as Samata Party. We have been demanding it since long.”
Nitish had gone to Uttar Pradesh to campaign for his party’s candidates.
Aware that his party did not have much at stake in UP, Nitish sounded realistic when asked about the JD(U)’s prospects there. “Let UP be the way it is, it is better to take care of Bihar,” he said.
Nepal MP
An MP from Nepal, Pradip Giri, today graced the janata darbar. “Giri has been a leader of the socialist stream. Bihar has shared a deep relationship with Nepal leaders. The Nepal MP was here on a courtesy visit,” Nitish said.
