Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the birthplace of socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, the Congress on Friday (Oct 24, 2025) approached the Prime Minister asking if it was not an accepted fact that the Jan Sangh toppled Mr Thakur’s government in Bihar in April 1979 when the former OBC chief minister introduced reservation.
The opposition party also questioned whether it was not a fact that the Prime Minister and his “problematic sarkar” in the state had done nothing to protect Bihar’s 65% reservation law for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and EBCs under the Constitution.
The attack took place before Prime Minister Modi addressed two election rallies in Samastipur and Begusarai districts. Before addressing a public rally in Samastipur, the Prime Minister will visit Karpurigram, the birthplace of Karpoori Thakur, the late socialist leader and former Bihar Chief Minister who was awarded the Bharat Ratna by the NDA government last year.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communication Jairam Ramesh asked the prime minister questions. Was it not an accepted fact, they asked, that the Jan Sangh — from which the BJP emerged — toppled the Karpoori Thakurji government in Bihar in April 1979 when the former chief minister introduced reservations for OBCs? “Is it not a fact that Karpoori Thakur ji was subjected to the most vile abuse by the leaders of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Jan Sangh?” Mr. Ramesh said on X (formerly Twitter).
It is not a fact that on April 28, 2024 he himself called those who demanded a caste census as “urban naxals” and that both in Parliament on July 20, 2021 and in the Supreme Court (September 21, 2021) his government categorically rejected the caste census, asked Mr. Ramesh.
“Isn’t it a fact that he and his sarkar in the state have done nothing to give protection to Bihar’s 65% reservation law for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and EBCs under the Constitution of India – the protection that the Congress government gave to a similar law in Tamil Nadu in September 1994?” the Congress leader said.
Published – 24 Oct 2025 13:02 IST
