Bihar Reservation Row: NDA Allies Differ Over Reservation Sub-Quota, Review

The reservation debate has intensified in Bihar, with Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) leader and Panchayati Raj Minister Deepak Prakash becoming the latest NDA leader to call for changes to the quota system so that its benefits reach the most deprived sections.

Speaking to reporters in Jamui on Saturday, Prakash backed sub-classification within reserved categories and argued that social equality cannot depend on reservation alone. Education, he said, must remain the key tool for ensuring equal opportunities, with both the government and society responsible for ensuring that every child receives an education.

His remarks come amid growing differences within the ruling NDA over whether reservation benefits should be redistributed among the most marginalised groups.

Deepak Prakash Backs Sub-Classification

Prakash said the reservation system needs to be refined so that benefits reach those who genuinely need them. His call for sub-classification echoes recent demands from Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leaders Jitan Ram Manjhi and his son Santosh Kumar Suman.

RLM is a constituent of the Bihar NDA, making Prakash's intervention the latest significant voice from within the ruling alliance to seek changes to the existing reservation framework.

Suman, the HAM(S) national president and a state minister, had earlier argued that the reservation system should be reviewed after decades of implementation to determine which communities had benefited and which remained marginalised.

He specifically pointed to the most deprived sections among Scheduled Castes, including the Musahar community, and backed sub-categorisation within SC/ST quotas. Suman also argued that internal disparities among reserved communities meant that benefits did not always reach the most disadvantaged.

His father, Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, subsequently endorsed the position.

Chirag Paswan, Tejashwi Yadav Oppose Changes

The demand has triggered a sharp confrontation within the NDA. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union minister Chirag Paswan has rejected both a review and sub-classification of SC/ST reservations.

Paswan has argued that SC/ST reservations are rooted in the historical experience of untouchability and social discrimination rather than economic deprivation. He has also challenged Manjhi and Suman to resign if they continue to demand changes to the existing system.

Manjhi and Suman have hit back, asking Paswan to resign first if he does not support a data-based review aimed at ensuring that the most deprived sections receive greater benefits.

The dispute has effectively turned the reservation question into an open political confrontation between NDA allies.

Opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has also rejected any move to alter the reservation system. He has said that nobody can "dare" to touch reservation and accused NDA leaders of acting at the behest of the RSS.

Yadav has also questioned the NDA's commitment to enhanced quotas proposed by the previous Mahagathbandhan government and challenged Paswan and Manjhi to contest from unreserved constituencies if they oppose the existing system.

Why BJP Is Keeping Its Distance

The Bharatiya Janata Party, the largest NDA constituent in Bihar, has so far maintained a cautious position on the dispute.

The BJP's reluctance to enter the debate openly is partly shaped by the political fallout from the 2015 Bihar Assembly election. Ahead of that election, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had called for a review of the reservation system. Opposition parties used the remarks aggressively during the campaign, turning reservation into a major electoral issue and contributing to sharp social polarisation.

That experience continues to make the BJP wary of taking a direct position on reservation, particularly with Bihar's political contest approaching.