'Hum taiyyar hai' (We are always ready) says Nitish on possibility of LS polls being advanced
Patna (PTI): Claiming the ruling BJP at the Centre was planning to bring forward Lok Sabha elections, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said, "'Humlog har samay taiyyar hai (We are always ready)".
The JD (U) leader, who had snapped ties with BJP a year ago and has played an instrumental role in bringing various opposition parties together in forming the INDIA bloc, also asserted that the multi-party alliance was 'intact', dispelling apprehensions of internal rift.
"I have been saying that the NDA government at the Centre is planning to hold early Lok Sabha polls. Humlog Har Samai Tayyar Hai (We are always ready) ... Let them hold it early," Kumar told reporters here.
The CM made the remark here in reply to questions from journalists who sought his views on the possibility of advancing Lok Sabha polls by the Center.
Kumar said, "We all are united and intact. We have been working for the people and will continue to serve people. We have done a lot of developmental work in Bihar. From constructing good roads, bridges, electricity, and drinking water facilities to several other infrastructural projects, we have done a lot of work in the state. The electorate will make the final decision (Janta Faisla Legi)".
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who was also present there, told reporters, "We are intact and will unitedly fight the coming polls".
Kumar, who has maintained that the media was shackled under the current dispensation, also said that a change in regime would herald 'mukti' (liberation) for the journalist fraternity.
"Let the government at the Center change, you (Journalists) people will get 'mukti'. Right now the media is being controlled by the government at the Centre. I am in support of journalists. When everyone gets full freedom, journalists will write what they like," he said.
When asked about the Center's decision to convene a special session of parliament, Kumar, whose JD(U) has 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha, said, "The agenda of the session is not clear Our members are there, they will strongly raise crucial issues".
The special session of Parliament is beginning today.
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Karnataka Cabinet ratifies decisions on internal reservation for SCs
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Cabinet has ratified its earlier decisions on internal reservation for Scheduled Castes and approved key modifications to streamline recruitment, including withdrawal and reissue of notifications and adoption of a 400-point roster system.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil on Thursday said the Cabinet reaffirmed its commitment to implementing internal reservation within the 15 per cent SC quota and expediting long-pending recruitment across departments.
"The Cabinet ratified decisions taken in earlier meetings (April 16 and April 24) and made modifications regarding reservation policies," Patil said.
He said the government will implement internal reservation within the 15 per cent quota for Scheduled Castes in specified proportions and revise recruitment notifications accordingly, with a 400-point roster to be followed.
If fewer than three roster points for SC arise in recruitment, then all 101 Scheduled Caste communities will be allowed to compete under SC general, he said.
Patil added that recruitment notifications issued without incorporating internal reservation will be withdrawn and reissued in line with the revised policy.
"If the Supreme Court approves 24 per cent reservation for SC/ST, six per cent backlog posts will be filled," he said, noting that urgent steps will be taken to fill 56,432 approved posts.
The latest decision follows the Cabinet's April 24 resolution that cleared a revised internal reservation formula within the overall 15 per cent SC quota, paving the way for long-pending government recruitment. The government had approved 5.25 per cent reservation each for the "right-hand" and "left-hand" groups, and about 4.5 per cent for other Scheduled Castes, including nomadic communities.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had then said the categorisation was worked out proportionately within the constitutional ceiling. "From tomorrow onwards, the recruitment process will begin with the issuance of notifications," he had said after the April 24 Cabinet meeting.
He also noted that the SC quota was fixed at 15 per cent and ST at three per cent in line with the 50 per cent cap laid down in the Indra Sawhney case, while pointing out that the Supreme Court had permitted internal reservation within constitutional limits.
