The release of the caste-based socio-economic survey by the Bihar government has become a major political issue in India. The survey revealed that Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Extremely Backward Castes (EBC) account for 63% of the state s population. This is the first time any state has released caste-based population data. The issue has gained attention from top leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. The caste census is seen as a potential weapon for opposition parties and a weak spot for the ruling BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Writer Perumal Murugan’s son’s inter-caste wedding involving Brahminical rituals has been defended as a necessary compromise and a matter of individual choice.
Pasmanda , or the “ones left behind”, is used to describe the other backward class (OBC) Muslims that comprise economically and socially excluded members of. 30.11.2022, Sputnik International