RJD will fight for reservation from the streets to Parliament: Tejashwi Yadav

Patna August: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar has vowed to take the fight for reservations from the streets to the Parliament.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has been vocal on the issue for the past two days, claiming that the BJP-led Union government was “misleading” the Parliament over the inclusion of hiked quota for deprived castes in Bihar in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution so that “it gets immunity from legal scrutiny”.

In an X post on Saturday, Tejashwi Yadav pointed out RJD’s long-standing efforts to advocate for a caste census aimed at the welfare of the deprived and neglected sections of society.

“After the Grand Alliance government was formed in Bihar, it managed to conduct and publish a caste-based survey within 17 months, a first in Independent India. Based on the caste survey report, the reservation limit for all sections in Bihar was increased to up to 75 per cent in November 2023,” Tejashwi Yadav said.

“Furthermore, in December 2023, during the Eastern Regional Council meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was requested to include it in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution, which was refused by the BJP-led NDA government,” he added.

The RJD leader also demanded the Central government to include Bihar’s increased reservation limit in the 9th Schedule, conduct a nationwide caste census, and grant Bihar special state status.

He also criticised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the JD(U), accusing them of merely enjoying power without being heard.

Ahead of next year’s Assembly elections in Bihar, the RJD has been targeting both the Bihar government and the Centre on the reservation issue.

IANS