Dal leader and former deputy chief minister of Bihar. (Photo: PTI)
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has said his party will hold an agitation on September 1, demanding inclusion of the results of the caste poll, held in 2023, in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution.
Tejashwi said he would join the protest taking place in Bihar.
He said, “We had mentioned it earlier. Our government had provided for 65 per cent reservation for OBCs, SCs and STs, we had mentioned including it in Schedule 9. The matter is pending. We knew that the BJP did not want it. It wanted to end reservation, so it did not include it in Schedule 9. We had said that if they (the State Government) did not present it properly before the Court, the RJD would approach the Supreme Court and present its stand. We are before the Court and the RJD will present its stand properly. Therefore, we have announced a mobilisation on September 1 all over Bihar. I will also be a part of it.”
In June, the Patna High Court struck down the Bihar Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services (Amendment) Act, 2023, and the Bihar Reservation (Admission to Educational Institutions) (Amendment) Act, 2023 as ultra vires and violative of the equality clauses of Articles 14, 15 and 16.
In 2023, the Bihar legislature amended both laws and increased reservation from 50 per cent to 65 per cent in jobs and higher education institutions.
Based on the results of the caste survey, the state government increased the quota for lower castes to 20 per cent, for scheduled tribes to 2 per cent, for extremely backward classes to 25 per cent and for backward classes to 18 per cent.
It is worth mentioning that Union Minister Chirag Paswan had expressed support for the caste census. Paswan said that a caste census is essential as many government schemes are designed keeping caste considerations in mind.
The 9th Schedule of the Indian Constitution contains a list of central and state laws that cannot be challenged in court.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: August 31, 2024 | 09:31 IS
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