Amit Shah on Bihar caste survey: Muslims, Yadav population deliberately inflated

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday attacked Bihar's Nitish Kumar government and alleged that the caste survey in the state deliberately showed an inflated Muslim and Yadav population as part of its "appeasement politics".

Amit Shah was addressing a rally in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district when he said that the decision to conduct the caste survey in the state was taken when Nitish Kumar's JD(U) was an NDA constituent.

Attacking the opposition INDIA alliance, of which both JD(U) and RJD are key members, Shah alleged that the only agenda of the bloc is to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Nitish Kumar should stop dreaming about becoming the next Prime Minister. The INDIA alliance did not even make him its convener," he said.

Attacking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Home Minister said the JD(U) leader was responsible for 'Gundaraaj' in the state.

The Union Home Minister also attacked RJD supremo Lalu Yadav and said, “RJD and JDU were not in support of removing Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. He had said that if Article 370 is removed, rivers of blood will flow. Lalu ji, leave the rivers of blood, no one had the courage to throw pebbles.”

Hitting out at Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav, the BJP leader said, “These are people running family shops, one wants to become the Prime Minister and the other wants to make his son the Chief Minister.”

“I have come to tell both of them, Nitish Babu, leave the Prime Minister, the INDI Alliance people did not even make you the convener. You don't belong anywhere. Oil and water never come together, they remain separate,” Amit Shah added.

Addressing the rally, Shah said the BJP would win all the 40 seats in Bihar in next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s caste-based survey statement on the population of Yadavs and Muslims.

Hitting out at Shah, Tejashwi Yadav said, “I heard Amit Shah's statement. He said that in the caste-based survey, the population of Yadavs and Muslims has increased and the population of other communities has decreased. I want to say that if the survey is wrong, then conduct a caste census across the country. Who has stopped you? Why aren't you doing that?"

Last year, JD(U) severed ties with the BJP and joined the Mahagathbandhan alliance comprising Congress, RJD and Left parties.