Cutting across party lines, political leaders of Bihar on Thursday paid tributes to former state Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, an OBC stalwart and champion of social justice, on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
Speaking at a programme organised by JD(U)'s extremely backward classes cell, Kumar spoke on the need for implementing the "Karpoori formula" which envisaged a sub- quota for the relatively worse off within the quota for OBCs, at the national level.
Pointing out that his government had implemented the formula after coming to power in 2005, Kumar urged the Centre to follow suit so that reservations to the OBCs provided as per the Mandal Commission report benefit those most needy.
He also underscored the need for a comprehensive caste census in view of the perceived rise in population of SCs, STs and OBCs and mocked at the "socio-economic profiling" done during the 2011 census conducted while the Congress-led UPA was in office.
"What was the need for such an exercise if the report cannot be made public," he asked.
At a function organised by the opposition RJD, party supremo Lalu Prasad's sons Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav sought to discount reports of fierce sibling rivalry as they waved at the party supporters holding hands.
Addressing the gathering, Tej Pratap the maverick elder son took the help of the Mahabharata to explain their positions.
Describing his younger brother as 'Arjuna', he said he would play the role of 'Krishna' who had steered the warrior prince's chariot to victory in the battle of Kurukshetra.
Tejashwi, who has emerged as the party's de facto leader in the absence of Lalu Prasad, lambasted the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for introducing 10 per cent quota for the economically backward among the unreserved classes.
"The exercise was conducted without any survey and proper study. It would fail in its stated objective just as demonetisation did.
"The Nagpuriyas (RSS and its supporters) are always for perpetuating the social inequality that resulted from the Varna system. They have been opposed to the demand for raising the 50 per cent limit on reservations for the socially backward. This new 10 per cent quota is the beginning of their assault on the social justice mechanism that has been in place," he alleged.
At a press conference, CPI-ML (Liberation) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya termed Thakur as "our source of inspiration" and vowed to dislodge the "anti-constitution and anti-reservation" Narendra Modi government from power.
The ultra-Left party which owes its origins to the Naxalite movement of the 1970s has historically been contemptuous of the socialists and their insistence on caste- based action, holding that it diluted class struggle.
The party is likely to have an electoral understanding with the Grand Alliance comprising Congress, RJD, RLSP and other smaller parties in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
At a function held to mark Thakurs birth anniversary by the Aam Aadmi Party, Rajya Sabha MP and in-charge for Bihar Sanjay Singh compared the Modi government to the British Raj.
It had adopted the policy of divide and rule and called for seeking inspiration from the socialist leader who had spent 26 months in jail during the Quit India movement, Singh said.
A function to pay tributes to Thakur was also held by the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party founded and headed by former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha.
Another programme was held at the residence of former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi where his Hindustani Awam Morcha passed a resolution demanding Bharat Ratna award for Thakur who was chief minister of the state in the 1970s.
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