New Delhi

Members of Parliament from the Rashtriya Janata Dal on Friday staged a protest on the Parliament premises, demanding the resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while pressing for an enhanced reservation quota.

The RJD MPs demanded a 65 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), and sought its inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to safeguard it from judicial scrutiny.

Rajeev Shukla of the Congress party also joined the RJD legislators during the demonstration.

Meanwhile, opposition MPs staged a separate protest outside the Makar Dwar of the Parliament House complex, demanding the resignation of Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The protest followed allegations raised by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi regarding Puri’s alleged links with Jeffrey Epstein.

Holding placards reading “Who’s grip, who’s choke”, opposition members claimed Gandhi had verified information connecting Puri to files recently released by the United States Department of Justice.

Addressing reporters, Gandhi also questioned why industrialist Anil Ambani had not been jailed, alleging that his name featured in the Epstein-related documents. He further claimed that Prime Minister Modi faced pressure in connection with the India-US nuclear deal.

READ MORE: When Zafar Sareshwallah offered namaz in RSS headquarters

Responding to the allegations, Puri dismissed Gandhi’s claims as baseless, describing them as “buffoonery” and asserting that they had only entertainment value. He also criticised Gandhi for leaving the Lok Sabha after delivering his speech.