Vijay Chaudhary said the 65% quota is no longer the law.

Patna, September 3, 2024: Vijay Chaudhary, the water resource minister of Bihar, clarified that the 65% reservation policy in Bihar cannot be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution because the law associated with it was annulled by the Patna High Court.

“Everyone knows who conducted the caste-based survey in Bihar. It was CM Nitish Kumar. Following the findings of the caste-based survey, we have increased the reservation up to 65% for the backward class, Dalit and tribal people of the state. Additionally, the state government had also allocated 10% reservation to the poor people of the upper caste.”

“Since the Patna High Court has already struck down this law, it no longer holds legal status and thus cannot be added to the Ninth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, a provision that protects law from judicial review. This point was clarified during the Monsoon session of the Bihar assembly earlier this year. Despite that, the leader of the opposition in the Bihar assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, continued to demand the inclusion of the annulled law in the Ninth Schedule,” Vijay Chaudhary said.

Vijay Chaudhary further criticized Tejashwi Yadav, who is claiming credit for the caste-based survey in Bihar.

“Tejashwi Yadav is claiming that he was instrumental in conducting the caste-based survey in Bihar, but everyone knows that Nitish Kumar is the Chief Minister of the state, and without him, it would not have been possible. Tejashwi Yadav may claim anything, but the truth is Nitish Kumar conducted the caste-based survey in the state and also implemented it,” Vijay Chaudhary said.

Tejashwi Yadav, on September 1, held a Dharna to demand the inclusion of 65% reservation in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, as well as a nationwide caste-based census. He accused the ruling JD (U) of not effectively defending the reservation during the hearing in Patna High Court, and hence the law was annulment.

Also Read: Jagadanand Singh said RJD will struggle for the caste census till the end.

Tejashwi Yadav is going for “Jan Samwad Yatra” starting on September 10 to engage with and gain the support of the people of Bihar on these two issues.

EOM.