A significant rift has emerged within Bihar's National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over the sub-categorization of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservations. Santosh Kumar Suman, president of Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and a minister in the Bihar government, has openly supported reviewing the reservation policy and implementing sub-quotas. This stance has ignited a political debate, with Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan strongly opposing it.

Santosh Suman, son of former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, clarified that the review's purpose is not to abolish reservations but to ensure their benefits reach the most vulnerable and historically deprived communities that have been left behind. He stated, 'We are in favor of SC-ST sub-categorization to ensure its benefits reach the most deprived.' Suman cited the Supreme Court's historic decision on August 1, 2024, which allowed states to sub-categorize within SC and ST categories to ensure reservation benefits for relatively more backward castes within these groups.

Suman argued that the reservation system was established to address social injustice and historical deprivation. He questioned why many SC communities in Bihar, such as the Musahars, remain significantly backward in education, employment, economic status, and administrative representation. Danish Rizwan, spokesperson for HAM (S), claimed that the benefits of Dalit reservations have largely been limited to dominant SC groups like Ravidas and Paswan. He highlighted the absence of IAS officers from the Musahar community in Bihar and asserted that HAM (S) has always advocated for sub-quotas within SC-ST. He emphasized the continued inequality among SC communities despite the existing Mahadalit system in Bihar.

Conversely, Chirag Paswan, president of LJP (RV), has opposed both the Supreme Court's decision and the concept of sub-quotas. Speaking to reporters in Patna, he stated that those who discuss or even contemplate reviewing reservations ultimately seek to abolish them from the country. Paswan argued that reviewing reservations implies removing people from the system and reducing its scope, which he sees as the beginning of an anti-reservation mindset.

It is noteworthy that the Manjhi family belongs to the Musahar community, which constitutes about four percent of Bihar's SC population, while the Ravidas and Paswan communities account for approximately 5.3 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively. This disagreement has become a significant issue in Bihar's political landscape.