In a significant address during the 26th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council held in Patna, Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed concerns over the caste survey conducted by the Bihar government. Shah urged the state to address the issues surrounding the survey, emphasizing that the Centre had no intention of obstructing the caste-based study. He recalled his party’s support for such surveys during its tenure in the state.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, and senior ministers from Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand attended the meeting chaired by Shah.
Shah, without providing specific details, mentioned, “There are some issues regarding the caste survey, which he hoped that the state government would resolve.” The home minister emphasized the importance of avoiding political differences during zonal council meetings and encouraged resolving matters in a liberal manner.
During the three-hour meeting, Shah highlighted the successful resolution of 1,157 issues in previous zonal council meetings. He underscored the need to address national concerns in these forums, including combating child malnutrition, reducing school dropout rates, expediting investigations and disposal of rape cases, establishing banking facilities within 5 km of each village, and forming new primary agricultural credit societies.
The statement issued by the home ministry quoted Shah as stating, “When his party was in power in the state, it had supported the caste-based survey.”
