PM Modi launches campaign for Bihar assembly elections with caste narrative

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to set the tone for Bihar’s high-stakes assembly elections by invoking a caste narrative during public meetings in Samastipur and Begusarai on Friday.

Launching his campaign for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections with a clear focus on social equations, he highlighted the OBC narrative, describing himself, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Union Minister Ramnath Thakur as “sons of backward families”.

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Before addressing the rally, the prime minister visited Karpoori Gram, the birthplace of Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur, to pay tribute to the socialist leader and former Bihar chief minister, who was posthumously honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 2024.

The choice of venue was symbolically significant, as per the recent caste census, the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) constitute 36.02 per cent of Bihar’s population, making them the largest and most decisive vote bank in the state.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said, “I had the opportunity to pay tribute to Bharat Ratna Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur in Karpoori Gram. It is by his blessings that people like me, Nitish Kumar, and Ramnath Thakur, who come from backward and poor families, stand on this stage today.”

Underscoring his government’s commitment to the EBC community, he said conferring the Bharat Ratna on Karpoori Thakur reflected the NDA government’s respect for his legacy.

The prime minister added that the BJP-led NDA alliance had made Karpoori Thakur’s vision of social justice the foundation of good governance.

“We consider him a guiding light. With the resolve to prioritise the underprivileged, uplift the backward, and serve the poor, our government continues to move forward. We have prioritised the interests of the poor, Dalits, Mahadalits, backward, and extremely backward communities. It was our government that decided to provide a 10% reservation for the economically weaker sections among the general category,” he said.

“The BJP government also extended the reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by another 10 years,” he added.

He further said that the long-pending demand for granting constitutional status to the OBC Commission was fulfilled only by the NDA government.

Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he said, “On the other hand, you all know better than me what the RJD and Congress are saying and doing.”

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, addressing the rally, launched a sharp attack on RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family. He said Lalu Yadav only works to promote his own family. “When he stepped down, he made his wife the chief minister. Now, he wants to make his son the chief minister. All they do is promote their son and daughter,” he said.

Listing the achievements of the NDA government, the chief minister said that the Bihar government has prioritised women’s empowerment and made historic improvements in education, healthcare, roads, and electricity sectors.