Opposition stages walkout in Bihar assembly over quota issue on final day of budget session

Patna, Jul 26 (PTI) Opposition members on Friday staged a walkout in the Bihar assembly after their demand for putting to vote a private member's bill on the state's amended reservation laws was turned down.

The bill was moved by CPI (ML) Liberation MLA Ajit Kumar Singh.

Talking to reporters outside the assembly, RJD MLA Bhai Virendra said "there is a provision for voting on a private member's bill if there is no unanimity on the same. But, our demand for division of votes was turned down by the Speaker who seemed to be acting at the instance of the state government".

He also alleged that the BJP, a partner in the state's ruling alliance to which the Speaker, Nand Kishor Yadav, also belongs, was "opposed to reservations for underdogs".

"And to enjoy power, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is sitting in their lap and squealing with joy,” said the RJD MLA, whose party lost power in the political upheaval earlier this year.

Quotas were hiked following a comprehensive survey of castes conducted by the Bihar government, which revealed that backward classes, Dalits and tribals were nearly two-thirds of the total population.

Placing the reservation laws in the ninth schedule of the Constitution would make these immune to judicial review and a request for the same, from the state government, is pending before the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

Talking to journalists after the day's proceedings were over and the assembly was adjourned sine die, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said "the opposition is behaving like a person who reaches station late and runs after the train after it has left the station”.

"They are desperate that the chief minister is getting the credit for caste survey and hike in reservations. They want to get some limelight. When a request has already been made to the Centre over the ninth schedule, raising the issue again is absurd,” he said.

Moreover, Chaudhary pointed out that following a high court order, "the amended reservation laws have ceased to remain effective.

The older laws, which provided for 50 per cent quotas, continue to remain in force. This is a technicality the opposition should understand".

During the five-day-long monsoon session, the assembly passed seven bills, two of those aimed at curbing leak of question papers and other malpractices in recruitment tests conducted by the state government. PTI ANW PKD NAC RBT