RJD Stages State-Wide Sit-In to Demand Caste Census and Inclusion of Reservation in Ninth Schedule

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) held a state-wide one-day sit-in protest, demanding a nationwide caste census and the inclusion of a 65% reservation increase in Bihar in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, joined the protest at the party office on Beerchand Patel Path. Similar protests were organized across various districts, with visuals from Patna showing large gatherings of party officials and supporters at the demonstration site.

Speaking to the media, Tejashwi Yadav questioned the timing of the increased reservation limit, stating, “Why was the reservation limit increased only during our 17-month tenure in power? Why didn’t this happen during the NDA’s tenure? They are merely performing theatrics. Why hasn’t this reservation been included in the Ninth Schedule? Those who are now making statements were the same ones who stood with me, announcing the reservation.”

Yadav also highlighted the achievements of the RJD-JDU government, mentioning, “During that time, 5 lakh jobs were created, and both a sports policy and an education policy were established. The NDA, on the other hand, is negative. If you say anything positive, they are bound to get offended.”

Further criticizing the government’s stance on Bihar’s special status, Yadav alleged that members of the Janata Dal (United) were pleased when Bihar was denied special state status. He challenged JDU leaders to clarify their position on including the reservation in the Ninth Schedule, saying, “If they are in power, it is their responsibility. Why shouldn’t Bihar be given special state status? We challenge the JDU leaders to declare whether they support including the reservation in the Ninth Schedule or not.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the RJD’s protest, accusing the party of inaction on reservation issues while in power. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha countered by stating, “Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ensured that a caste census took place in Bihar and took all necessary actions. The opposition, when in power, didn’t even provide reservation in Panchayats.”