RJD members on Tuesday tried to overturn the furniture inside the Bihar assembly in protest against the alleged inability of the ruling NDA to restore 65 per cent quotas for deprived castes.

Most legislators of the main opposition party in the state had reached the assembly wearing T-shirts or badges dyed in green, the shade emblematic of the RJD, and carrying posters and placards with slogans that accused the ruling coalition of being "aarakshan khor, aarakshan chor" (one who steals and eats up reservations).

The Question Hour went off peacefully but trouble erupted in the Zero Hour, when RJD Akhtarul Islam Shahin rose and read out the adjournment motion on the issue of the hike in quotas, which was effected in 2023 but quashed by the Patna High Court.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary rose to assert that the quotas were hiked by the state government which first ordered a caste survey, an exercise that brought to light the rise in population of backward classes, Dalits and tribals since the caste census of 1931.

Chaudhary also pointed out that the legislations by which the quotas were raised "have been declared null and void by Patna High Court" and until the Supreme Court gave its verdict in the matter, the government could not make a fresh move.

This infuriated the opposition members, many of whom entered the well demanding that the government bring new legislation and after passage, get these protected against judicial review.

They said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose JD(U) is a key ally of the BJP, which now does not have a majority in Parliament, must use its clout at the Centre to get reservation laws placed in the ninth schedule of the Constitution.

Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav urged opposition MLAs to return to their seats and got infuriated when some of them tried to overturn the chairs and the table meant for reporting staff.

Yadav adjourned proceedings till 2 PM, nearly 30 minutes ahead of the recess for lunch, and warned that action would be taken against unruly members identified in CCTV footage.

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