“Do not pay heed to rumours. The BJP is fully in favour of reservations,” said the party in a Facebook video on Saturday a day after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) spokesperson Manmohan Vaidya triggered a controversy through his comments on the reservation policy.
As the matter went viral on social media triggering comparisons with the impact of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks ahead of the Bihar elections, the BJP, in apparent damage control, hosted online a March 2016 speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify its stand. “Whenever the BJP comes to power, rumours are spread that it will end reservation,” read the caption of the almost two minute video, in which Mr. Modi states that while the party held power at the Centre and several States for many years, it did not take any negative step to end the provision of quotas.
‘Not justified now’
The clarification by the saffron party comes after Mr. Vaidya, while addressing a session titled ‘Of Saffron and Sangh’ at the Jaipur Literature Festival on Friday, said the quota in jobs and education was given to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in a “certain historical context”, but its provision for people professing faiths other than Hinduism was not justified.
The RSS favoured the continuation of reservation “as long as discrimination [against them] continues,” he said.
“The ideal position is: give equal opportunities to all. Dalits and tribals were kept out of education and progress for a long time. Though reservation has provided support to them, its permanent provision may not prove to be good for society,” Mr. Vaidya said, adding that even Dr. B.R. Ambedkar had favoured quota for a limited period of time.
Opposition protests
While the RSS issued a series of clarifications and launched an online blitz, Opposition parties accused the RSS-BJP of trying to end reservations.
BSP chief Mayawati said Mr. Vaidya’s statement was “anti-reservation and anti-constitutional” terming it “unfortunate” and “condemnable” .
As the Modi government runs on the “directions of the RSS,” it has made regular attempts to “dilute” the provisions of reservation and make it “ineffective”.
JD(U) leader K.C. Tyagi also hit out at the RSS-BJP, saying “such statements go against the spirit of the Constitution and also violate the constitutional article part 4 of 46 which states the promotion of educational and economic interests of SCs, STs and weaker sections”.
BJP State general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the party “is not against the current reservation policy. But the advocacy for reservation on basis of religion is not agreeable with the constitution or the law”.
