Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, November 9
In a swift action after presentation of the Caste census report, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday successfully got the Reservations(amendment) bills approved by the Bihar Assembly.
The bill was scheduled to be presented tomorrow, but it was introduced and passed today .
Three separate Bills recommending 75 per cent reservations in government jobs, admissions in educational institutions and panchayati raj institutions were tabled and passed without debate. The BJP supported the three bills.
Parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhury piloted the bills related to reservations in panchayat, government offices and admissions in educational institutions. Panchayati raj Minister Murari Gautam introduced the bill related to reservations in three tier panchayati raj institutions.
Now, there would be 18 per cent for other backward castes, 25 for extremely backward castes, 20 per cent for scheduled castes, 2 per cent for scheduled tribes and 10 per cent for economically poor castes. Earlier, 65 per cent was the upper limit of reservations.
Nitish Kumar while intervening objected to the doubts raised by his predecessor Jeetan Ram Manjhi and said data was authentic.
The speedy passage of the Bill reflects the urgency of the JDU, RJD leadership to attract votes for the reserved castes voters well before the Lok Sabha elections. Nitish Kumar’s action led to the BJP leaders to promote caste census in other BJP ruled states.
Home Minister Amit Shah, while speaking at rally at Muzaffarpur on November 5, announced BJP would also support the reservations for OBCs and EBCs.
Chief Minister abuses self
Within 48 hours of his sexiest comments in the Assembly, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday got himself embroiled in yet another controversy by literally abusing Jeetan Ram Manjhi, a Mahadalit former Chief Minister for opposing reservations and calling the just concluded caste survey as paper work .
Nitish Kumar lost his cool when the octogenarian Manjhi, a legislator since 1980 alleged the caste census was a fraud. Nitish took strong objection to his comments and said “Isko kuch nahi aata hai,Koi sense nahi Hai hai isko).
Nitish ignored attempts by his Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Vijay Kumar Chaudhury to stop him for attacking Manjhi further. Nitish continued his attack on Manjhi and said “It was my madness (gadahapan) and murkhata (foolisheness) that I made him the Chief Minister. This man is not liked even in his family. Now, he calls himself former Chief Minister.” Nitish asked the media persons too stop giving coverage of Manjhi.
Chief Minister claimed Manjhi wanted to become Governor and that is the reason he was hobnobbing ith the BJP. Chief Minister did not address Manjhi with respect and always said Isko. This man does not know anything. He is talking nonsense on caste survey.
A visibly hurt Manjhi later said he was senior to Nitish in age and in legislature. “I am in 80’s, elected MLA in1980, while Nitish became MLA in 1985. He is seven years junior to me,” he said.
Manjhi claimed he was prevented by the chair from speaking on the castes reservations Bill. Manjhi sought an appointment with the Governor to register protest against the Chief Minister.
