Latest news with #Vaishya
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Mithila's Suri community intensifies demand for inclusion in EBCs
Madhubani: People from Suri community, a sub-caste of Vaishya in Mithilanchal region, have intensified their campaign demanding their inclusion in the Extremely Backward Class (EBCs) by the state govt. Community leaders such as BJP MLA Arun Shankar Prasad, former MLC Suman Kumar Mahaseth, divisional convener of a Suris' organisation, Prahahlad Purbey; a community leader from Rosera in Samastipur, Ramesh Gami, and others have already held meetings at Basopatti, Saharghat, Dhakjari, Rosera and other places, including Madhubani, urging people from the community to participate in large numbers in the Suri Maha Adhikar Sammelan to be held at Bapu Sabhagar in Patna on June 8. According to these leaders, the scheduled Sammelan is aimed at putting pressure on the state govt for addressing their demand, which could significantly influence the political landscape in the upcoming 2025 state assembly elections. The region covering Darbhanga, Samastipur, Madhubani, Supaul, Sheohar and Sitamarhi districts — also known as Mithilanchal comprises over 50 of Bihar's 243 assembly constituencies, a critical electoral battleground. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Resmed AirSense 11 with flat 20% off ResMed Buy Now Undo The region is a stronghold of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising BJP, JD(U) and other smaller parties. In the 2020 elections, the NDA performed well in these areas. Talking to this newspaper over phone on Wednesday, Arun Shankar Prasad, BJP MLA from Khajauli (Madhubani), said that when sub-castes like Teli, Halwai and others of the Vaishya community were included the EBC category in 2015, Suri (sub-caste) was left out. The present campaign is to rectify that anomaly, he added. As per the 2022 caste survey, the percentage of EBCs in Bihar's population is 36.01%. Suris, traditionally, have been BJP supporters and they feel their inclusion in the EBC category would grant them access to reservation benefits in education and jobs, particularly after the Union cabinet gave its assent for the caste census. Political observers believe if the demand is ignored by the state govt, caste equations may undergo a change in coming assembly elections. Though, traditionally with BJP-led NDA, majority of Suri community voters may shift towards the Mahagathbandhan or opt for caste-candidates even if not a winning horse in the coming assembly elections.
India Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Why Tejashwi Yadav is laying the caste net wider
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated May 26, 2025)It was a sweltering Saturday in Patna on May 3, but the heat wasn't just from the rising mercury in the summer. At the Miller High School Ground in the centre of the city, Tejashwi Yadav was whipping up some serious passion of his own. The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader was addressing a rally—the 'Ati-Pichhda Jagao, Tejashwi Sarkar Banao (Wake Up the EBCs, Elect a Tejashwi government)' rally organised by his party's EBC (Extremely Backward Classes) cell. 'No EBC community has prospered, while Nitish has flourished,' Tejashwi thundered, mounting a salvo against his once grand ally—Janata Dal (United) supremo and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. He promised them jobs and safety; freedom from crimes and criminals too. 'Jo apraadh karega, gareebon ka shoshan karega, apamanit karega, usko main jail bhijwaunga (Whoever commits a crime, exploits or insults the poor, I will send them to jail),' he vowed, positioning himself in just that single sentence as a bulwark against injustice as well as four days earlier, on April 29, Tejashwi had been addressing an altogether different assembly—of the economically forward Vaishya or trader community. The occasion was Bhama Shah Jayanti, and the state RJD office had organised a function to honour the 16th-century merchant hero. 'Your enterprise has driven Bihar's growth,' he told them, 'yet the current regime never recognised your contributions.' It was a pivot for a party that has seldom shown any affection for the merchant community. Tejashwi reminded the gathering how, during his brief tenure as deputy chief minister between August 2022 and January 2024, he had brought in 'Rs 50,000 crore in fresh investment' and delivered 'half a million jobs'. The ground laid thus, Tejashwi got down to business. 'If you walk one step with me, I will walk four with you.' The audience expressed its approval, with a giant burst of two speeches, delivered in quick succession, are of a piece with a strategy forged out of hard electoral arithmetic. In the 2020 Bihar assembly election, the mahagathbandhan, or the grand alliance, a coalition of the RJD, Congress and the Left parties, had won 110 seats in the 243-member House. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising chiefly of the BJP and the JD(U), eked out a victory with 125 seats, despite a vote share that was just 0.03 percentage points higher than that of the rival formation. While the actual difference in votes was just 11,150, the real margin, as it turned out, lay in the unaligned and disaffected segments that neither bloc fully commanded. And it is into this untapped reservoir that Tejashwi is now casting his HIS EBC RIGHTThe EBCs are 113 marginalised castes that constitute more than 36 per cent of Bihar's population, according to the latest caste-based survey. Given their fragmented nature, they have never had the social clout of dominant OBC castes like the Yadavs—who account for 14 per cent of the state's population—yet exercise outsize influence at the hustings thanks to their numbers. They have been an inalienable part of Nitish's support base, ever since the nine-time chief minister granted them 20 per cent reservations in panchayat bodies back in 2006. Tejashwi is now trying to chip away at that support base, and attempting to forge a bond with voters who almost never pick the RJD as first choice in Bihar's political power play. His current efforts may not consolidate every EBC vote, but they could be enough to tilt the This will not be the first time that Tejashwi has tried to broaden his outreach, but while the efforts have resulted in impressive tallies, they have failed to crystallise into decisive victories. In 2020, the RJD had emerged as the single largest party, securing 75 seats and a 23.1 per cent vote share, thanks largely to a job-centric campaign that delivered nearly 39 per cent of the vote in the 144 constituencies the party had contested. Yet, it was not enough in the absence of fresh constituencies to compensate for incremental losses among the EBCs, Dalits and women, and the RJD-led Grand Alliance fell short of forming the government by a mere 12 seats. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the RJD amassed 9.6 million votes—the highest for any party in Bihar—yet they translated into just four parliamentary seats. The NDA, on the other hand, maintained a lead in 176 of the state's 243 assembly the assembly polls now due in six months, Tejashwi is determined not merely to reprise the campaign themes of 2020, but also to extend his party's outreach well beyond the customary 'M-Y' coalition of Muslims (17 per cent of the population) and Yadavs. Together, the M-Y are a formidable bloc, but still insufficient if the NDA succeeds in peeling away chunks of the remaining voters. Hence the new, amplified refrain: shared welfare, enhanced security and unflinching FOR EVERYBODYFor the EBCs, Tejashwi is holding out the lure of targeted employment schemes, local infrastructure projects and community-led policing initiatives to safeguard women. To Dalits, he is offering land title regularisation and scholarships; to urban entrepreneurs, simplified licensing and relief from punitive 'GST raids'. Women's collectives are being promised not just security and empowerment but also a monthly social security stipend of Rs 2,500. Of course, Tejashwi's polyphonic appeal could well boomerang. By courting these new constituents, he risks alienating his loyal supporters. His core M-Y vote bank could resent overtures to erstwhile rivals; the NDA is already portraying him as a political opportunist. And while onerous compliances and sporadic enforcement crackdowns may have bred discontent among Bihar's traders, they may hold back, driven by scepticism after years of U-turns by regional Yet, the momentum is clearly shifting. Bihar's caste survey has reignited the public debate on representation. Promises to field more backward class candidates than ever in 2025 have sparked enthusiasm in communities long accustomed to tokenism. There is also the generational shift, something the 35-year-old Tejashwi brings up regularly against the 73-year-old Nitish. In speech after speech, he refers to the incumbent as 'tiredretired, even'.Tejashwi's youthful brio also comes with a strategic nod to dynasty and his father Lalu Prasad's contributions. The RJD patriarch remains the patron saint of Bihar's social justice politics, but his rule is also identified as a 'jangal raj' that deprived the state of growth opportunities. Aware of the contradiction, Tejashwi takes pains to paint Lalu's legacy as one of empowerment, not of chaos, and himself as someone who can carry it forward while marrying it with 21st century WILL IT WORK?In a state where electoral fortunes have swung on margins as slim as a few thousand votes, even modest gains among EBCs, traders or women could prove decisive. But Tejashwi's strategy demands near-flawless execution. For that, he'll first have to get the allies in line. Tejashwi's big challenge will be to persuade the Congress to cap its ticket count at around 50 seats. In 2020, the party fought in 70 seats but managed only 19 wins (even the CPI-ML had a better strike rate—12 wins in 19 seats contested). The RJD chief also has to accommodate two new parties: Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), which won four of the 13 seats it contested as an NDA ally in 2020, and Pashupati Paras's faction of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).Meanwhile, there are fresh ripples from another quarter—Prashant Kishor's newly formed Jan Suraj party. Riding a wave of disaffection with traditional party hierarchies, Kishor's party promises clean governance, community-driven development and a break from entrenched dynastic politics. Partymen claim it will get 5-7 per cent of the Muslim vote in key districts, depriving the RJD—which considers Muslim voters as part of its natural constituency—of the very margins it needs to convert popular support into legislative strength. This election, Tejashwi will have his hands full, as he must reckon with the old NDA and the new to India Today MagazineMust Watch
Hans India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
RaGa forced Centre to approve caste census: Cong
Nandyal: Congress leaders in Nandyal performed a milk abhishekam to Rahul Gandhi's portrait on Monday, celebrating the Central Government's decision to conduct a caste census. The event, led by J Lakshmi Narasimha Yadav, Nandyal Parliament DCC President and AICC member, highlighted Gandhi's pivotal role in championing social justice. 'It is Rahul Gandhi's tireless struggle that forced the Centre to announce caste census, crucial for ensuring fair representation for OBCs, who make up over 60% of the population,' Yadav said. He emphasized that accurate caste data is essential for equitable distribution of reservations in education, employment, and politics. Welcoming the Cabinet's decision, he demanded immediate implementation of the census, removal of the 50% reservation cap, creation of an OBC ministry, and introduction of reservations in the private sector. He clarified that the caste census would benefit all communities by determining fair reservation quotas, including for Kamma, Reddy, Vaishya, Kapu, and Brahmin groups. Senior Congress leaders Sheikh Razak Vali, Pathan Habib Khan, Balaswami, Zakir Hussain, and others participated in the event.
United News of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
RJD always honours Vaishya community :Tejaswi
Patna, Apr 29 (UNI) Leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejaswi Prasad Yadav said Rashtriya Janata Dal ( RJD) has always honoured the Vaishya community and assured to further strengthen the relationship that has been formed with the community. While addressing an official function organised at the party office on Tuesday on the occasion of birth anniversary of Bhamashah, a generous donor, Yadav said that Bhamashah always supported Maharana Pratap in the fight for self-respect. Stressing the need to take forward the ideas of Bhamashah, he appealed to the party workers to strengthen his ideologies by adopting a cooperative attitude. He alleged that the present government was working against the interest of the Businessmen mostly represented by the Vaishya community and added that the entire community was financially being tortured in the name of GST or other taxes. The rise in criminal incidents including murder, loot and other heinous crime, the community was under fear psychosis. He exhorted the community and the other leaders of the RJD to strongly fight against such actions of the NDA government to protect their sovereignty. Yadav assured to support them in their struggle of self respect . Tejaswi reiterated that Bihar no longer needs a "tired" Chief Minister and retired officers and appealed to the party workers to connect with the people for creating a fearless society. Yadav appealed to the community to give him a chance for transformation of Bihar. Speaking about the achievements during his 17 months rule under grand alliance Government in Bihar, Yadav said that his government promoted business class people in the state. The RJD leader said that during his regime investment of Rs 50 thousand crore was made in the state and more than 5 lakh people belonging to every section were given the government jobs. He said that he was all set to fill the 3.50 lakh vacancies but the chief minister Nitish Kumar suddenly took a "U" turn and formed a government with the NDA abandoning the Grand Alliance. The NDA government even faield to fill the 3.50 lakh vacancies, he alleged. UNI RS SJC
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Nitish pays tributes to Bhamashah on his birth anniversary
1 2 3 4 5 Patna: CM Nitish Kumar paid floral tributes to Bhamashah , the trusted general and close aide of Maharana Pratap of Mewar, on his birth anniversary at a state function in Patna on Tuesday. Nitish also visited the JD(U) office and attended the birth anniversary function of Bhamashah, organised by the party's business and industry cell. Nitish offered turbans and gamchas to the party netas present on the dais on the occasion. State president of JD(U) business and industry cell, Dhanji Prasad, welcomed the CM. JD(U) state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha, ministers Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Sunil Kumar and the party's national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad among others attended the function. Kushwaha said CM Nitish Kumar got the statue of Danveer Bhamashah, a symbol of respect and honour for the business class, installed in Patna's Punaichak in 2019 and decided to celebrate his birth anniversary as a state function in 2023. He said the business community has a great influence on the society and should convey the achievements of the Nitish govt to the people of Bihar . Deputy leader of JD(U) in the legislative council and the party's state treasurer, Lalan Kumar Sarraf, said they needed to take a pledge to take the achievements and messages of the CM to the people. RJD also celebrated the birth anniversary of Bhamashah at its office on Tuesday. Addressing the party netas and workers on the occasion, RJD neta Tejashwi Prasad Yadav urged the Vaishya community to support the Grand Alliance in the coming assembly election.
