Nitish Kumar sprung a political surprise with his proposed new quota in Bihar??
Reportedly the proposed increase in quota from 50 per cent the ceiling set by the supreme court to 65 per cent has received the Cabinet’s nod from the Kumar government. With Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal on one side, all eyes are on the bharatiya janata party, which has expressed support for it.BJP’s state president, Samrat Chowdhury, said his party supports reservation, not just while in power but also while in the Opposition. Realising the caste realities of bihar politics, Chowdhury did not stop at expressing support for it but went a step further to claim credit when he said, “Last year, when the nda government was in power, the decision to conduct a caste census in the state was taken and it was started, the results of which were seen today.” Chowdhury said bjp legislators will vote in favour of the Bill when it is brought to the floor of the assembly to increase the reservation ceiling in the state.Sources say the BJP’s support was due to political compulsions in a state where caste is still the dominant factor, and its refusal to support the bill would be akin to political suicide. The bjp fielded its most veteran leader, former deputy chief minister Sushil Modi, to attack nitish kumar while expressing support for the Bill. Walking a tightrope, Modi held a press conference to question why Kumar has not replicated this at the panchayat level, where the participation is wider. “It has been announced to increase reservation from 50 per cent to 65 per cent. But the (Nitish Kumar) government is mum on panchayat and municipalities. Bills (for reservation in panchayats and municipalities) should also be brought in. You are increasing limits on government jobs. But that limit in the panchayat is just 37 per cent. It can very well go up to 50 per cent. I would say it can even go further,” said Modi.