Tejashwi demands review plea against SC ruling on quota
Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav Monday asked the Centre to “immediately file a review petition” to challenge the Supreme Court ruling that reservation in government jobs is not a fundamental right.
The Opposition leader also criticised Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, LJP’s Ram Vilas Paswan and Republican Party of India leader Ramdas Athawale for not clarifying their stand on the issue.
“The government should either file a review petition in the Supreme Court or make amendments in the Constitution in the current session of Parliament to make reservation a fundamental right. If the government at the Centre fails to fulfill our demands, we will protest in Parliament as well as on the streets,” Mr Yadav said.
The RJD, which has been holding a series of meetings in Patna to draw up strategies for the Bihar Assembly elections, also hinted that the party might use the reservation plank against the NDA government.
“Reservation is a constitutional provision and if it is not followed, how will our country move ahead. Leaders like Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan and Ramdas Athawale who have been supporting the BJP in abolishing reservation should also clarify their stand on the issue,” Mr Yadav said in a tweet Monday.
In another hard-hitting tweet against the BJP, he said, “Why do BJP and NDA want to abolish reservation? Are dalits, backwards and tribals not Hindus? Why does the BJP want to take away the reservation of these deprived Hindus?”
The Bihar Assembly elections are slated to be held later this year. Sources in the RJD said that in order to strengthen his party’s voter base in the state, Mr Yadav is likely to launch a statewide tour to propagate the failures of the NDA government.