Tejashwi Questions Centre's Determination of Hindu, Muslim Population Without Census

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday cast doubts on the EAC-PM report, questioning how the Centre could determine the Hindu and Muslim population without even conducting a Census.

The report of the Economic Advisory Council to the PM (EAC-PM) stated that there has been a rise in Muslim population and a fall in the Hindu percentage.

Photo Credit: PTI

The former deputy chief minister of Bihar alleged that the ruling dispensation at the Centre was creating a rift between Hindus and Muslims to divert attention from "real issues".

"You arrived at numbers without holding a Census? Wasn't Census due in 2021? You are the prime minister of the country... please give up your Hindu-Muslim binary and talk about issues," Yadav said.

The RJD leader made the remark while replying to questions from journalists on the EAC-PM report.

The working paper by the EAC-PM, titled 'Share of Religious Minorities: A Cross-Country Analysis (1950-2015)', stated that the share of Hindus in the country's population decreased by 7.82 per cent (from 84.68 per cent to 78.06 per cent) between 1950 and 2015, while that of Muslims increased from 9.84 per cent to 14.09 per cent during the period.

Yadav said, "Neither PM nor BJP leaders will talk about growing unemployment, price hikes and several other important issues. The PM will not talk about the special status of Bihar. The Modi-led central government is just trying to create a rift in the society. They want to change the Constitution. We will not allow divisive forces to create a rift in the society."

When asked about PM Modi's scheduled roadshow in Patna on May 12, Yadav said, "Let him (PM) do roadshows or airshows, nothing is going to change. The NDA will face a humiliating defeat in the country as well as in Bihar. We (INDIA bloc) are talking about 'jobshow'... we will provide one crore jobs to unemployed youth after coming to power at the Centre."

Modi is scheduled to arrive in Bihar on May 12 on a two-day visit, during which he will hold a roadshow in Patna the same day and address three election rallies on May 13.