Patna, June 5 (IANS) In a politically-charged move, Leader of Opposition (LoP) and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has written a letter to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, demanding a special session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly to pass a new reservation Bill ensuring 85 per cent quota in government jobs and educational institutions.

LoP Tejashwi Yadav urged Chief Minister Kumar to form an all-party committee to study the issue of adequate representation among backward and marginalised communities.

Based on that report, he suggested that the Assembly should pass a Bill raising the total reservation to 85 per cent and send a proposal to the Central Government for inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution — thus protecting it from judicial review.

The demand comes in the wake of the Patna High Court’s decision to strike down the 75 per cent reservation law passed during the Mahagathbandhan regime.

The court observed that the law lacked empirical data to justify the increase in reservation beyond the 50 per cent cap set by the Supreme Court.

Tejashwi Yadav emphasised that during his tenure in the previous Mahagathbandhan government, a caste-based survey was conducted in 2023, which laid the foundation for the 75 per cent reservation framework — 65 per cent for SCs, STs, OBCs, and EBCs, and 10 per cent for EWS’.

He cited the example of Tamil Nadu, where 69 per cent reservation has been upheld for decades after being placed in the Ninth Schedule, and called on CM Kumar to follow the same route to ensure legal protection.

In the letter, Tejashwi questioned the intent of the NDA government, claiming that if CM Kumar does not act decisively now, it will be seen as a deliberate attempt to delay and derail the reservation process.

“If you do not do this, it will be understood that you and your government are deliberately delaying and deviating from this matter,” LoP Tejashwi wrote.

He argued that under the Mahagathbandhan, lakhs of government jobs were created, and the rollback of increased reservation is causing a loss of opportunities for Dalits, Adivasis, and backward castes.

He demanded the formation of an all-party committee to study caste-wise representation in jobs and education, convening a special one-day Assembly session to pass a new Bill raising reservation to 85 per cent, sending the Bill to the Central Government for inclusion in the Ninth Schedule to shield it from judicial invalidation and immediate implementation of the new reservation structure to protect ongoing recruitments and job opportunities.

The ball is now in CM Kumar’s court, with mounting pressure from the Opposition to act swiftly and decisively on a sensitive and electorally-critical issue.

–IANS

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