PATNA: Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly, has called on the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government to introduce new laws providing 85% reservation quotas for deprived castes and economically weaker sections (EWS).
Speaking in the assembly on Tuesday, after Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav rejected the opposition’s adjournment motion, the RJD leader proposed that a committee be set up to conduct a study, based on which a new Bill should be presented in the House to increase quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Economically Backward Classes (EBCs).
Tejashwi, also the former deputy chief minister, alleged that a “BJP hand” was behind the petitions challenging the state government’s decision to hike the reservation quotas. He argued that the decision to raise the quotas was based on a comprehensive caste survey, which revealed an increase in the population percentage of deprived castes compared to the last caste census, which was conducted in 1931.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s ruling that reservation quotas should be increased on the basis of recommendations from a committee, he questioned whether such a committee had been formed when the 10% reservation for EWS was introduced.
The Bihar assembly had passed two Bills increasing the reservation quotas for OBCs, EBCs, SCs, and STs from 50% to 65%, in addition to 10% for EWS. Tejashwi pointed out that the hiked quotas had not been included in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution, even though a proposal had been sent to the central government a year ago. He accused the BJP government of being staunchly opposed to reservation.
In response, senior JD (U) leader and minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary countered Tejashwi’s claim, stating that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had initiated the caste survey when the NDA was in power. Choudhary noted that the RJD, which was also part of the government at the time, supported the survey and that the cabinet had given its approval when the NDA government was in power.
Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, while criticising Tejashwi, said, “When your parents (Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi) were in power, reservation was not given to anybody, but people started receiving the benefits of reservation after the formation of the NDA government in the state in 2006.”
The opposition walked out of the assembly following heated arguments between the treasury and opposition benches over the issue of the reservation quota hike.