Patna, September 1: Tejashwi Yadav, the National Executive President of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, has launched a scathing attack on the NDA government. He accused it of increasing police brutality in Bihar and failing to deliver justice to backward, Dalit, and marginalized communities regarding reservation issues. Yadav stated that there is an ongoing attempt to turn Bihar into a police state, which the RJD will not accept under any circumstances.
During a press conference in Patna, Yadav highlighted the case of a journalist from Vaishali, who faced police harassment for raising questions about public issues and poor road conditions. The journalist present at the press conference claimed that on the night of August 29, police officer Rakesh Kumar, along with a police force, forcibly entered his home, breaking down the door.
He alleged that the police pointed a revolver at him and assaulted his mother, sister, and brother. Subsequently, he was taken to the police station and later transferred to another station. The journalist reported that the next day, plainclothes officers pressured him to confess involvement in various cases. He claimed he was brutally beaten to admit to a murder case and to acknowledge the recovery of a country-made pistol and cartridges from his home. He refused to accept any allegations against him. Eventually, he was presented in court, where questions arose regarding the police’s evidence related to his arrest and the recovery. The court ordered his release on bail.
Yadav alleged that the entire operation was conducted under the influence of local MLA and Bihar government minister Lakhendra Paswan. He warned that if no action is taken against the guilty police officers, the RJD would be compelled to call for a shutdown in Vaishali. He also referenced incidents in Darbhanga, Gaighat, and Sitamarhi, questioning the police’s conduct.
In the latter part of the press conference, Yadav addressed the reservation issue, targeting NDA’s allied parties. He stated that leaders like Jitan Ram Manjhi, Chirag Paswan, Upendra Kushwaha, and those from the Janata Dal (United) benefit politically from reservations but remain silent when it comes to protecting and expanding them. Yadav noted that during the Mahagathbandhan government, the reservation limit was increased to 75% through caste enumeration, and there was a demand to include it in the Constitution’s Ninth Schedule, but the central government has taken no steps in this direction.
He urged that if NDA allies genuinely support reservations, a new law should be enacted to raise the reservation limit to 85% and include it in the Ninth Schedule. He pointed out that representation of SC, ST, and OBC communities in central universities, high courts, and central government ministries does not reflect their population ratio.
Yadav emphasized that when these communities constitute a significant portion of the population, their representation in top constitutional and administrative positions should not be so minimal. He stated that the real justification for caste enumeration data lies in formulating solid policies for landless, poor, weak, and marginalized groups based on it.
He concluded by asserting that social justice should not merely be an electoral issue. The principle of “the more significant the number, the more significant the share” should guide the expansion of reservations and opportunities. Yadav declared that superficial and opportunistic politics regarding reservations will no longer be tolerated.
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