Weeks after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat courted a controversy by calling for a committee to look into “which categories require reservation and for how long,” the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, P.L. Punia, has dubbed the Sangh “anti-Dalit.”
“Mr. Bhagwat has said this two-three times. The RSS and the BJP are anti-Dalit and anti-reservation. They [the government] have no commitment to the pending Bill on reservation in promotion, too. The constitutional amendment Bill is pending, why don’t they push for it,” he asked in a conversation with The Hindu . He is also a Rajya Sabha member of the Congress. > Read more
Excerpts from an interview:
What do you think about RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement that a committee should look into which categories require reservation and for how long?
Mr. Bhagwat has said this 2-3 times. The RSS and BJP are anti-Dalit and anti-reservation. They (the government) have no commitment to the pending Bill on reservation in promotion too. The constitutional amendment Bill is pending – why don’t they push for it? The PM’s speech on terminating interview in group B,C and D jobs smacks of obsession with ‘merit’. They talk about Dr. Ambedkar. Mr. Bhagwat praised Dr. Ambedkar in his Dussehra speech. But he did not say a word about his previous comment on reservation. He made no clarification. And the BJP hasn’t said once that they disagree with him – they have just said they agree with the present policy.
In your view, was Congress leader Jitin Prasada correct in reportedly seeking a debate on Mandal and asking for quotas for the poor among upper castes and a focus on most backward castes? Should the Congress come out against the demand?
He is neither in government at the Centre nor in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He should have made his suggestions when he was minister. But our 2014 manifesto said that we can consider other proposals without prejudice to the existent 50-percent quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs. All Congressmen are committed to this. This is both my individual and party position.
Do you think there should be creamy layer exclusion among SCs, just like the OBCs, to make reservation benefits reach the most needy Dalits?
The concept of creamy layer was discussed in detail by the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case. It said creamy layer exclusion would apply only in relation to OBCs. So, legally speaking, the SCs are a special class and different from OBCs. But so far as my personal opinion is concerned, I don’t have a problem in the exclusion of the very well-to-do, who have benefited from this reservation in the past.
You are in the Congress Party, but Dr. Ambedkar was critical of the role of Mahatma Gandhi on separate electorates and other issues. Do you see yourself agreeing more with Gandhi or Ambedkar on the Dalit question?
There is no contradiction between Gandhi ji and Dr. Ambedkar. Both stood for the welfare and emancipation of Dalits. Gandhi ji lived in Dalit bastis in those times of great exploitation. He said clearly that there is no high (oonch) and low (neech). The Congress had a huge majority in the Constituent Assembly. Gandhi ji realised that the agreement with Dr. Ambedkar in the Poona Pact (reservation of seats) should also be implemented in the constitution. Dr. Ambedkar was a highly deserving man. Gandhi ji realised this. He deserves credit for making Dr. Ambedkar chairman of the constituent assembly.
Do you think there should be reservation in the private sector?
Yes, there should be reservation in the private sector. The private sector is a misnomer. Public sector companies and banks give loans to private companies. When they get access to public money, how can they claim to be fully private? They should give reservations too.
