"Double-engine govt in Bihar has all but given up on proposed 65 per cent reservation": Congress' Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi [India], June 20 (ANI): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bihar, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Friday alleged that the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in the state has almost "given up" on the proposed 65 per cent reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs).
Ramesh, who is the Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications in a post on X, said he proposed three ways out that will make the 65 Per cent reservations in government jobs and educational institutions a reality.
"The PM is in Bihar today. On the basis of the caste survey conducted by the erstwhile INDIA bloc Government in Bihar, the Bihar Government had proposed 65% reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs. This is under challenge in the Courts. The double-engine Govt in Bihar has all but given up," he said on X.
The Rajya Sabha MP in his first step asked to make the Bihar reservations law a part of the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution and amend the Constitution to overcome the 50 per cent ceiling for reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs.
"But there are three ways out that the INC has been demanding for long that will make the 65% reservations a reality. 1. Make the Bihar reservations law a part of the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. This was done by the Narasimha Rao government in 1994 for protecting 69% reservations in Tamil Nadu. 2. Amend the Constitution to overcome the 50% ceiling for reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs. This ceiling has only been imposed because of various Supreme Court judgements over the past six decades," the Congress Rajya Sabha MP said.
He further proposed to implement Article 15(5), which enables reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs in private educational institutions also.
"Article 15(5) enables reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs in PRIVATE educational institutions also. This has been unimplemented in the past 11 years after the Supreme Court upheld the Constitutional amendment that was introduced by Dr Mannohan Singh's government in 2006. Most definitely the INC will take up these three issues of fundamental importance to social justice and empowerment in the Monsoon session of Parliament that begins on July 21, 2025," he added.

The PM is in Bihar today. On the basis of the caste survey conducted by the erstwhile INDIA bloc Government in Bihar, the Bihar Government had proposed 65% reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs. This is under challenge in the Courts. The double engine…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 20, 2025

This comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bihar, where he will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects at Siwan. Assembly polls in the state are due in October this year.
After the government decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming decadal census, Congress has ramped up its demand for the immediate implementation of the legislation, alongside Article 15(5) to extend reservation to OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis in private educational institutions. (ANI)