Bihar NDA Rift: Manjhi's Son Backs SC Sub-Quota, Chirag Paswan Opposes
· India · Indian Express, Times of India, Zee News
A fresh row has broken out in the BJP-led NDA in Bihar over SC/ST sub-categorisation in reservation policy. Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) president and Bihar Minister Santosh Kumar Suman — the elder son of Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi — publicly backed 'quota within quota', arguing that benefits have not reached communities like the Mushahars, from which his family hails. LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan countered, citing concerns over discrimination and invoking Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. HAM (S) spokesperson Danish Rizwan said the RSS had earlier supported a quota review, and pointed out that no IAS officer has come from the Mushahar community, which along with the Bhuiyan makes up about 4% of Bihar's SC population. Suman invoked the Supreme Court's August 1, 2024 Constitution Bench ruling, which permitted states to sub-classify SCs and STs to ensure more backward sub-groups get reservation benefits.
Why it matters
The dispute exposes a faultline within Bihar's NDA on caste justice, pitting Dalit sub-groups competing for the same SC quota against each other, with potential electoral fallout in a state where caste arithmetic is decisive. A push to redraw SC sub-quotas could reshape both the NDA's social coalition and Bihar's reservation politics ahead of future elections.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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