Ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar, which is due in October-November this year, cracks in the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) appeared imminent as alliance partner Congress on Friday said it was not in favour of the domicile policy advocated by the Rashtriya Janata Dal of 90% reservation for the local youths in State government jobs and educational institutions.
“The Congress is not in favour of the domicile policy of the RJD to give 90% reservation for the State’s youth in government jobs. If it’s done here, the other States will do the same and discrimination will happen with the youths from Bihar there… giving jobs to local youths in the State could be a priority but not a policy,” senior State Congress leader and party MLC Prem Chandra Mishra said on Friday.
Not feasible: RLSP
Under the mahagathbandhan in Bihar, the Congress is a major alliance partner of the RJD along with other parties. Similarly, the other ally, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) leader Madhav Anand, too said the proposed domicile policy of the RJD would not be feasible.
Earlier, during his ongoing Berojagari hatao, Bihar bachao (Remove unemployment, save Bihar) yatra across the State, Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Tejaswhi Yadav had been reiterating at every public meetings that if his party was voted to power in the upcoming Assembly elections “it will implement the domicile policy by giving 90% reservation to local youths in government jobs and educational institutions”.
The NDA leaders, meanwhile, have termed Mr. Tejashwi Yadav domicile policy plan as a “political gimmick” in view of the upcoming Assembly polls.
‘Election stunt’
“All this domicile policy declaration is nothing but an election stunt by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav… do you think it is possible and feasible in a federal set-up of the country… what will happen if other States too start following this?... where would youths from Bihar go?”, asked State BJP leader Nawal Kishore Yadav.
