Bihar rings out 2023 dominated by caste census & Nitish’s foot-in-mouth problem

Patna, Dec 24 (IANS) The year 2023 in Bihar will be remembered for multiple reasons, be it the caste-based survey in the state, the increase in the reservation quota, teachers’ recruitment or Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s controversial remarks in the Assembly.

The caste-based survey, followed by the state government’s decision to increase the reservation quota in government jobs and educational institutions was a hot political topic in the state.

It is not that the issue of caste-based survey was limited to Bihar only. It resonated throughout the year, from Delhi to other states as well. The issue kept arising even in the recent Assembly elections of five states.

Although the approval to conduct the caste survey in the state was given by the NDA government itself, this year the Grand Alliance government overcame all the legal and political hurdles and got it done.

On the basis of the survey, the state government passed a bill to increase the reservation quota for Backward Classes, Extremely Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes from the existing 50 per cent to 65 per cent.

At the national level, the BJP may have been against the caste-based survey and the subsequent increase in the reservation, but in Bihar, the saffron party stood in support of the bill to raise the reservation.

In 2023, teachers’ recruitment was also a major issue in the state. Nitish Kumar government gave jobs to more than one lakh teachers this year through the Bihar Public Service Commission.

In the last assembly elections, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav promised to provide government jobs to 10 lakh people in the first cabinet meeting after the formation of the government.

The year also witnessed huge controversy over Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s remarks about population control in the state Assembly. Nitish Kumar even had to apologize for his statement.

Following the controversy, the Chief Minister distanced himself from the media; however, he again drew flak from political circles after he said in the Assembly that it was due to his “stupidity” that he had made Jitan Ram Manjhi the Chief Minister.

Apart from this, several other statements of Nitish Kumar made national headlines.

–IANS

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