Centre misleading Parliament over including Bihar’s raised quota in 9th schedule: Tejashwi

PATNA: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday charged the BJP-led central government with misleading the Parliament over the inclusion of hiked quota for deprived castes in Bihar in the 9th schedule of the Constitution, so that it is immune from legal scrutiny.

The Mahagathbandhan administration in Bihar last year urged the Centre to incorporate the hiked reservation from 50 to 65 per cent in state government jobs and educational institutions in the 9th schedule.

In 1992, the Supreme Court capped reservations for the backward classes at 50 per cent.

Yadav told a press conference that RJD Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Manoj Kumar Jha raised a question in this regard recently.

"Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, B L Verma, in his written reply on July 31 categorically said that inclusion of increased reservation in the 9th schedule of the Constitution comes under the purview of the state government. The minister gave a wrong and misleading reply. He misled the House," alleged Yadav.

The RJD leader asserted that it is the Centre's responsibility to include matters in the 9th schedule and that was why the Mahagathbandhan government requested the central government for it.

The Ninth Schedule of the Constitution includes a list of Central and state laws that cannot be challenged in courts.

The RJD will "expose" the Centre's "lie" before the Supreme Court where an appeal is pending against a Patna High Court order quashing the state's new reservation laws.

“We will file an appeal before the Supreme Court in this regard on Monday," he said.

The RJD leader also alleged that the NDA government at the Centre as well as in the state are against reservation for the deprived section of the society.

"The NDA government is against reservation, against giving special category status to Bihar and also against including the new reservation law in the 9th schedule. The RJD has decided to launch a state-wide protest against this attitude of the NDA government towards Bihar from August 15," Yadav said.

He also wondered why the chief minister is maintaining silence over such “step-motherly treatment” to Bihar.

Following a caste survey in Bihar, the Bihar assembly last year passed two Bills that also got the governor's assent.

The Bills sought a hike in the quota for Scheduled Castes from 16 to 20 per cent, Scheduled Tribes from 1 to 2 per cent, extremely backward castes from 18 to 25 per cent and other backward classes from 15 to 18 per cent to elevate the total quantum of caste-based reservations from 50 to 65 per cent.