New Delhi, Oct 24 – Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the birthplace of socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, the Congress party criticized the PM, questioning the historical role of the Jan Sangh in the downfall of Thakur’s government in Bihar in April 1979. This occurred when the then Chief Minister introduced reservation policies for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The Congress party further challenged the Prime Minister regarding the lack of action from his administration, referred to as the “trouble-engine sarkar,” in safeguarding Bihar’s 65% reservation law for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, and Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) as mandated by the Constitution.

This criticism was issued prior to PM Modi’s scheduled addresses at two election rallies in Samastipur and Begusarai districts. The Prime Minister is set to visit Karpurigram, the birthplace of the late Karpoori Thakur, who was awarded the Bharat Ratna by the NDA government last year.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, posed several questions to the Prime Minister on social media platform X, highlighting the Jan Sangh’s historical opposition to Karpoori Thakur’s government and the derogatory remarks made by RSS and Jan Sangh leaders against Thakur during that period.

Ramesh also referenced PM Modi’s previous comments labeling those advocating for a caste census as “urban naxals,” and noted the government’s rejection of a caste census in both Parliament on July 20, 2021, and the Supreme Court on September 21, 2021.

Additionally, Ramesh emphasized that the Congress government had previously provided legal protection for a similar reservation law in Tamil Nadu in September 1994, contrasting it with the current administration’s inaction regarding Bihar’s reservation law.

The 243-member Bihar Assembly is set to hold elections in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results expected to be announced on November 14.