Patna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, apart from batting for reservation in private sector jobs, on Monday also pushed for quota in promotion in government jobs.

He pointed out that the Bihar government had implemented reservation in promotion in government service, but it was stayed by Patna High Court and the issue is pending decision in the Supreme Court.

"What is the problem with reservation in promotion?" Nitish asked on the sidelines of his Lok Samvad programme in Patna.

Quota provisions, he added, should be there also for economically backward people from the non-reserved category. Nitish also supported the move by Ram Vilas Paswan, Union minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, to write to the Centre to implement reservation in promotion in government jobs. "If he (Paswan) wants some initiative by the Centre to get the obstacles removed in quota in promotion, it's a welcome step," Nitish said.

Reservation, the chief minister said, was needed for the sake of equality.

"Reservation is for a limited purpose. Its aim is to make deprived sections of the society capable of availing the concept of having equal opportunity. It is meant to bring the deprived people to the mainstream. It has no unlimited objective," Nitish added.

Nitish has lately been very vocal on reservation; he has also rooted for reservation in outsourced jobs, private jobs and quota for various agrarian communities like Jats, Marathas and Patidars.

Asked whether Nitish's reservation overdrive was to counter RJD chief Lalu Prasad, JDU spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said: "Nitishji's social justice means development with justice that too without any tension in the social fabric and as per the Indian Constitution. He is the one who has instituted scholarships for the financially weak upper-caste students.

"Lalu's social justice," Neeraj added, "is cultivation of tension and friction in the society, and ultimately means property accumulation in the name of welfare of the poor and the downtrodden."