Tejashwi Yadav Urges Bihar CM for Special Session to Boost Quotas

Patna, June 5 (PTI) - RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, on Thursday, appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for a special assembly session to introduce new legislations aimed at increasing quotas for the weaker sections of society to "85 percent." Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition, shared a letter on social media accusing the state government of intentionally delaying the issue. Previously serving as deputy CM, when reservations were increased to 75 percent, Yadav's proposal is to immediately send the new legislations to the Centre for inclusion in the ninth schedule of the Constitution. He referenced the Patna High Court's decision to set aside the previous legislations passed in 2023, deeming the quota hike unsupported by a "scientific study" necessary to establish such a requirement. The adjustment in quotas was based on a comprehensive caste survey that revealed an increase in the population percentages of Dalits and backward classes compared to the 1931 census, the last time various social groups were enumerated. Yadav highlighted Tamil Nadu as an example, where "69 percent quotas are in force," suggesting that Bihar could also safeguard its reservation laws from judicial scrutiny by placing them in the ninth schedule. He suggested the formation of an "all-party committee" to draft the new legislations, followed by a "special session" for their passage. The RJD leader accused the BJP, which is in power in the state and at the Centre, of opposing reservations, attributing this stance to the "RSS ideology." Yadav's demands emerge as a significant point of discussion ahead of the assembly polls, which are scheduled for later this year.

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