PATNA — RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has launched an attack on Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing him of ignoring a letter he has written
regarding the inclusion of Bihar’s enhanced reservation quota in the 9th
Schedule of the Constitution.
In a post on X on Monday, Tejashwi questioned the Chief
Minister’s silence on the issue. “Did Nitish Kumar not respond to my letter
because he doesn’t have an answer? Or is this his usual pattern? Or perhaps
officials didn’t even bring it to his notice?” Yadav asked.
Yadav expressed concern over the delay in securing
constitutional protection for the 65 per cent reservation quota for SC, ST,
OBC, and EBC communities passed by the previous Grand Alliance government. Inclusion
in the 9th Schedule would shield the quota from judicial scrutiny, he said.
“The parties that boast about social justice can’t even
get the 65 per cent reservation cap included in the 9th Schedule. Is politics
only about clinging to power?” Tejashwi remarked, targeting not only Nitish
Kumar but also NDA allies and Union Ministers Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi,
and Upendra Kushwaha.
He questioned the collective political will of these
leaders, suggesting they have failed to persuade Prime Minister Narendra Modi
to act on the issue. “If these so-called champions of social justice cannot
convince the Prime Minister, then what credibility do they have left?”
Tejashwi went a step further, challenging Nitish Kumar to
take legislative action. “If the Chief Minister cannot raise the issue before
the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, then he should at least convene a
one-day special session of the Bihar Assembly. Let the people see who stands
for social justice.”
The reservation quota issue is fast emerging as a key
political flashpoint ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. The Grand
Alliance government had passed the bill increasing reservations to 65 per cent,
but it remains legally vulnerable in the absence of its inclusion in the 9th
Schedule.