Jamshedpur, Feb. 10: Nine members of Parliament (MPs) have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to address problems of most backward classes in the state.

Eight Lok Sabha MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP met the Prime Minister on February 6 at New Delhi.

The move on the issue was prompted by fears of a backlash by most backward castes in the coming election regarding changes that were made by the Jharkhand government more than a year ago.

The Lok Sabha MPs who met Vajpayee were Karia Munda, Abha Mahato, Ram Tahal Choudhary, Rita Verma, Ravinder Pandey, Dukha Bhagat, Pradeep Yadav and Lakshman Gilua.

Ajay Maroo was the lone Rajya Sabha MP on the team.

The MPs requested the Prime Minister to issue quick instructions to the state government to rectify the anomaly in the caste structure.

The memorandum, a copy of which is with The Telegraph, mentions that in Bihar the backward castes were included under two categories, Annexure I and Annexure II.

Annexure I comprised most backward classes and Annexure II included backward castes. The Bihar government had made provisions for reservation up to 18 per cent for those under Annexure I, while it was nine per cent for those under Annexure II. Jharkhand adopted the same system after its creation.

However, more than a year ago, when Babulal Marandi was the chief minister, the NDA government abolished Annexure I, and put all the 30 most backward classes under Annexure II.

The government also announced a 14 per cent reservation for all the backward castes in the state.

The MPs told Vajpayee that most backward class candidates are unable to compete with candidates of backward castes when it comes to education and employment matters under the new system since the latter are more advanced.

The Prime Minister had asked the MPs if they had raised the issue with the state government.

Sources said Vajpayee has assured them that he would look into the caste controversy when he was informed that the matter was taken up with the state government.

“We approached the Prime Minister because the issue involves a sizeable section of the society,” said Abha Mahato.

A section of the state BJP admitted that if the state government does not revert to the old system of Annexure I and Annexure II it can have a negative impact on the party in some constituencies in the coming election.