Ahead Of Bihar Polls, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav Renews Call For 85 Per Cent Caste Quota With Ninth Schedule Protection, Slams BJP On Census

Ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly polls, opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav reiterated his demand for 85 per cent caste-based reservations in the state.

He has also demanded that the move be protected from judicial review through inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

In November last year, the RJD leader had asked Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to bring a new bill to raise the reservation limit in government jobs and educational institutions in Bihar to 85 per cent.

Earlier this month, he wrote to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar demanding a special session of the Assembly to pass a law raising reservations to 85 per cent.

In an op-ed in the Indian Express on Saturday (21 June), Tejashwi Yadav lashed out at the BJP and its allies on the issue of caste census and reservation.

“The implementation of enhanced reservation quotas... shall be a political decision and a socio-economic imperative rooted in the constitutional ideals of equality and justice,” he wrote.

"This is exactly why I am demanding concrete action in Bihar through fresh laws to raise reservations to 85 per cent. We need the Centre’s support through the Ninth Schedule because we understand that without constitutional protection, these progressive measures can be challenged and diluted," the RJD leader wrote.

He accused BJP and its allies of damaging the social justice reforms while constantly speaking about supporting backward classes.

He also called for breaching the 50 per cent ceiling imposed by the Supreme Court on reservations.

"The artificial and unscientific 50 per cent ceiling imposed by the judiciary – neither representative of the will of the people nor representative of the composition of the society, much less demographic data – needs to be challenged," Yadav wrote.

The call comes against the backdrop of the caste survey data released in Bihar last year, which found that OBCs and EBCs together constitute over 63 per cent of the state’s population.

Arguing that reservation must reflect present-day realities, Yadav wrote, “Nobody can deny that caste census data is essential to rectify the highly skewed development map of India in terms of certain groups acquiring a larger share".

He also warned that “without constitutional protection, these progressive measures can be challenged and diluted.”

In a direct attack on the NDA, Yadav accused the BJP of blocking a nationwide caste census out of fear.

“They are afraid that a comprehensive caste census would throw up hard data on caste-based disparities, reinforcing the relevance of caste in public policy," the RJD leader said.

He even called the Centre’s proposed caste census “half-hearted.”

Yadav said that he has asked CM Nitish Kumar to convene a special assembly session on the reservation issue.

“I am demanding that we move beyond empty promises to concrete legislative action that can withstand judicial scrutiny through constitutional protection,” he said.

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