Bhagalpur: Jan Suraaj party founder Prashant Kishor, during a one-day visit to Bhagalpur and Munger on Thursday, took aim at both the central government’s caste census initiative and the opposition’s ideological posturing, accusing parties across the spectrum of using the issue more as political theatre than a tool for meaningful social reform.
Reacting to the Centre’s decision to include caste data in the national census, Kishor reiterated Jan Suraaj’s position that gathering detailed social data is not inherently problematic. “We’ve always said there’s no harm in surveys or censuses that help us better understand society,” he stated. “But conducting a census alone won’t fix what’s broken.”
Citing the example of Bihar’s 2022 caste census, Kishor pointed out that while the report highlighted alarming figures—such as only 3% of Dalit children passing Class 12—there has been little policy movement in response. “Two years have passed since the Bihar government made this data public, yet there is no concrete educational scheme for Scheduled Castes, Tribes, or Backward Classes,” he said. “Just buying a book won’t make you a scholar—you have to read and understand it. The same goes for reform—you need more than just data.”
Kishor reserved sharp words for Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, questioning both his ideological grounding and his political intent. “Even with ten days of coaching, Tejashwi Yadav wouldn’t be able to recite five lines on socialism without reading from a paper,” Kishor said mockingly. “Since when did he become the face of socialism?”
Invoking historical socialist icons such as Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, and George Fernandes, Kishor argued that Tejashwi’s claim to socialist values is superficial. “Socialism belongs to JP, Lohia, and Fernandes—not someone who doesn’t even know its definition,” he said.
