Soren-led delegation meets Jharkhand Guv Ramesh Bais

Ranchi: A delegation led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren Tuesday met Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais and urged him to send two legislations on reservation for government jobs and determination of domicile status to the Centre for inclusion in the ninth schedule of Constitution.

Soren said barring the BJP representatives, all political parties in the state - the JMM, Congress, the Left parties as well as AJSU joined the delegation.

"The (Jharkhand) High Court had cancelled the recruitment policy of the state .... The state Assembly on November 11 passed two legislations - one raised the quota for reservation in government jobs in the state to 77 per cent, including 27 per cent reservation for OBC, and another on the 1932 Khatiyan' (land records)-based domicile. We requested the Governor to approve them and send it to the Centre to provide a constitutional shield," he told media persons after the meeting.

Both the legislations - Jharkhand Reservation in Vacancies of Posts and Services (Amendment) Act 2022 and the Jharkhand Definition of Local Persons and for Extending the Consequential Social, Cultural and Other Benefits to such Local Persons Act, 2022 came with the caveat that "the Acts shall take effect after these are included in the ninth schedule of the Constitution of India." The ninth schedule of the Constitution contains a list of central and state laws that cannot be challenged in courts.

The chief minister said it is unfortunate that the youth of the state are not getting employment in third and fourth grade posts and alleged that a conspiracy has been hatched by a "gang" active here to "debar locals from their rights."