Patna, June 5(UNI) Senior RJD leader Tejaswi Prasad Yadav on Tuesday demanded 85 per cent reservation for SCs, STs, Backwards and others in government services and demanded that the government convene a special session of the assembly to frame a law for the purpose.

Yadav, in his letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, said that provision for 65 percent reservation was made for Backwards, SCs and STs in government services while ten percent reservation was also given to poor among upper castes, when Grand Alliance government was in power in the state for 17 months since August 22.

A decision to this effect was taken after the caste census conducted in Bihar, and the reservation limit was increased under the population percentage of the castes concerned, he added.

" Despite NDA government remaining in power both at the Centre and in Bihar, Chief Minister Kumar failed to ensure placement in the 9th schedule of the constitution,

the provision of a total 75 per cent reservation for SCs, STs and backwards classes besides poor among forward in government services ", RJD leader said adding that the provision of 75 percent reservation could have been kept away from judicial review, had it been placed under 9th schedule of the constitution by Narendra Modi government.

Yadav said that the Nitish Kumar government should convene a special session of the Bihar assembly to frame a law for providing a total of 85 per cent reservation for SCs, STs and Backwards, including 10 per cent separate reservation for the poor among upper castes.

After approval of the related provision by the state legislature, Nitish Kumar's government should send the same to the Centre with a request for placing it in the 9th schedule of the Constitution, he added.

Such provision of 69 per cent reservation in government services in Tamil Nadu had been in existence for 35 years, as it was placed under the 9th schedule of the constitution, he pointed out.

RJD leader said that when his party was in power as a constituent of the Grand Alliance government for 17 months in Bihar, lakhs of appointments were made. A total of 3.5 lakh appointments were in process when RJD was ousted from power due to a " U " turn made by Chief Minister Kumar for joining hands with the BJP again in January 2024, he added.

" If Chief Minister Kumar does not make any effort on the issue raised by me, it will be easily understood by people of Bihar that he has no interest in taking any action for upliftment of backwards and Dalits in Bihar and only agenda left for him was to carry out programmes approved by RSS and BJP", the RJD leader said adding that 65 percent reservation provision for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backwards, was scrapped by the Patna High Court and the matter was now pending in Supreme Court.

Due to the indifferent attitude of Chief Minister Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the issue of reservation for backwards and deprived was hanging in balance due to judicial intervention, and such a scenario could have been avoided, had it been placed in the 9th schedule of the Constitution, he pointed out.

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