Tejashwi Yadav Challenges Nitish, Chirag, and Manjhi on 75% Reservation

Political pressure surrounding social justice and reservation policies continues to dominate political discourse in Bihar, with opposition leaders ramping up their attacks on the ruling administration and central authorities.Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) National Executive President and Leader of the Opposition, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, launched a fierce broadside against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and key NDA allies during a high-profile press conference at his Patna residence. Demanding immediate action on caste-based quotas, Tejashwi issued direct political challenges to central ministers and regional leaders regarding the implementation of the expanded reservation framework.Demanding Ninth Schedule Inclusion for 75% ReservationDuring his interaction with the media, Tejashwi targeted key ruling alliance figures—including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi, and leader Upendra Kushwaha—urging them to leverage their political standing to compel the Central Government to include Bihar's increased 75 percent reservation quota in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.Tejashwi alleged that NDA leaders lack genuine commitment to social justice and are indirectly aiding right-wing ideologies by speaking about reviewing quota frameworks. He recalled that during the tenure of the Mahagathbandhan government, quotas for backward classes, extremely backward classes, Dalits, and tribal communities were raised to 65 percent following a comprehensive caste survey, which, combined with the 10 percent Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota, brought the total to 75 percent.Direct Challenge to NDA Allies on Reserved SeatsDirectly addressing prominent Dalit and backward-class leaders within the NDA, Tejashwi issued a blunt political challenge. "Before making statements on reservations, if you have the courage, resign from reserved seats and contest elections from general seats," he stated, accusing certain politicians of utilizing reservations merely to advance family-centric politics rather than empowering marginalized communities.Furthermore, Tejashwi raised probing questions regarding institutional representation, asking leaders like Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Ramdas Athawale to evaluate the actual proportion of judges from Dalit communities in the judiciary, alongside representation among university vice-chancellors and central government secretaries.Slams Government on Law and Order and Police AllegationsShifting focus from quotas to governance, Tejashwi leveled serious allegations against the state administration regarding law and order, claiming that Bihar is witnessing a rise in police high-handedness. He accused the government of using intimidation, false criminal cases, and police action to silence students, youth, protesters, and ordinary citizens, thereby eroding public trust in law enforcement.Highlighting specific cases of alleged custodial violence and police abuse across various districts, the opposition leader declared that the RJD will not allow Bihar to transform into a "police state."RJD Threatens Protests Over Action Against JournalistAddressing press freedom, Tejashwi brought up the case of Kundan Kumar, a local YouTube channel journalist from Patepur in Vaishali district, who was present at the media briefing. Tejashwi alleged that the journalist was framed with false weapons charges and subjected to police brutality simply for reporting on local development bottlenecks and bad road conditions.Accompanying the journalist—who recently secured court bail—Tejashwi demanded immediate disciplinary action against the local DSP and two station house officers involved. He warned that if action is not taken against the erring police personnel, the RJD will take to the streets and launch state-wide protests to shut down Vaishali, asserting that any attempt to suppress journalism is a direct assault on democracy.