CPI(M) wants judicial commission for domicile policy

The CPI(M) today called for a judicial commission to determine the yardstick of a person's domicile status in Jharkhand, and said the 1932 census survey as the cut off mark could not be taken as there had been separate survey reports in different parts of the state.

"Our party demands setting up of a judicial commission to draw the yardstick to formulate a domicile policy covering socio-economical background of the people," party's politburo member Brinda Karat and state unit secretary G K Bakshi told a joint news conference.

"But the 1932 Khatiani (land document based on the census survey during that year) can't be the yardstick because there had also been surveys in 1916, in 1964 and 1990," Karat said, hinting at the controversy in picking one or the other census report as the cut off mark.

Many regional parties in Jharkhand demand 1932 should be made as the cut off mark while formulating domicile policy to enable recruitment of employment aspirants from the "Adivasis and Moolvasis (tribals and original inhabitants)" in grade III and IV in state government jobs.

The CPI(M) also demanded covering the interests of SC/ST/BC and socially backward people from general castes while formulating the policy.

Karat said the Centre should intervene in formulating the policy as covering such a large section of the people would definitely cross the 50 per cent reservation cap set by the apex court.

She, however, did not specify whether her party wanted the Centre's involvement by way of bringing a bill in Parliament to increase the present cap on reservation across the country.

Reminding the Hemant Soren government of the violent anti and pro-domicile agitations in 2002 during the Babulal Marandi government, Bakshi said the government should ensure protecting the rights of the people under SC/ST/OBC and protection of tribal land as enshrined in the Constitution.