Amit Shah, Lalu Prasad Spar Over Reservation Policy in Bihar

Patna: BJP chief Amit Shah, who attacked rivals Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav for most part of a speech to party workers in Bihar's Begusarai today, had to go on the defensive on the issue of caste-based reservations, emphasising that his party supports affirmative action.  

"Since the Constitution was drafted and formalised, the BJP has been a supporter of reservation. Lalu is trying to get media attention by speaking rubbish... Lalu ji is saying that if the BJP comes to power here, then, they will remove reservation. Don't follow what he says. Lalu ji is telling all of you a white lie," said Mr Shah, who is on a week-long tour of Bihar, where elections will be held in five phases from next month.

Earlier this month, Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, which is the ideological mentor of the BJP, had controversially suggested a review of the reservation policy.

Lalu Yadav has since wasted no opportunity to attack the BJP, alleging in tweets and speeches that it plans to scrap reservation, a strategy designed to rally the support of the backward classes that benefit from quota.

Today he tweeted, "Amit Shah should tell us when the report on caste census will be released, and does he support our demand for reservation on the basis of population of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in the country?"

The RJD leader, who takes on the BJP in partnership with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the Bihar elections, has alleged that Mr Bhagwat's comments sought to placate the upper castes, traditionally seen as BJP supporters and who do not benefit from reservation.

The BJP has had to issue multiple clarifications that it does not see the need to review reservation, even as grapples with having to contradict Mr Bhagwat. The party, which rules at the centre, has tied up with three regional parties that have substantial support among Bihar's more underprivileged castes to supplement its upper caste support.