In a rare sight for the ruling NDA alliance in Bihar, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Saturday sought the resignation of Jitan Ram Manjhi and his son in an intensifying dispute over reservation.
Paswan said on Saturday that the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) chief and his father Manjhi ought to resign over their demand for sub-quotas—a "creamy layer" within Scheduled Caste (SC) reservations.
"If Jitan Ram Manjhi feels these measures should be implemented, should he not resign first? Let him introduce the 'creamy layer' concept—after all, he would fall under that category too, wouldn't he? ... His son, who is present here, should resign as well," he told reporters about his NDA alliance partner.
Notably, the LJP(RV) has always opposed sub-quotas, with Paswan reiterating that all communities within SCs have remained united, and that sub-reservations would defeat the point of social justice for Dalits.
He added that the Constitution does not provide for SC reservations to be determined based on economic status.
This comes after Manjhi's HAM(S) earlier backed sub-quotas for SCs and STs within the existing reservation system, while his son opined that sub-quotas in the reservation system should be reviewed to have it reach it the most vulnerable sections of society.
The HAM(S) has also called out issues with the reservation system, noting that its supposed benefits have remained concentrated among a few communities, including the Paswans, while several others remain underrepresented.
Suman also pointed out that not a single person from his Mushahar community—said to be one of the lowest rungs of the Dalit community in Bihar—had become an IAS officer.
This is based on a Supreme Court petition filed last month calling for the exclusion of socially and economically advanced individuals from reservation benefits. It argued that the creamy layer—those more affluent than the rest of their community—within the SCs and STs were unevenly hoarding the benefits of the reservation system.
Citing the SC's 2024 judgement, the plea said four of the seven judges on the Constitution bench had suggested sub-quotas for SCs and STs, but the Centre, had said in an affidavit that the principle could not be extended to the SCs and STs, adding that it had only been applied within the OBC category.
The reservation disputes further gained steam with the emergence of the Reservation Hatao Andolan (RHA), a digital movement based on the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which conducted its first physical protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar just a week ago.
