BJP distances itself from RSS chief's comments on quotas

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called for a review of caste-based reservations

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday distanced itself from the comments by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat calling for a review of caste-based reservations. The party said it was against any such review.

The BJP chose to clarify its position on the issue in view of the upcoming Bihar elections and after several opposition leaders, particularly Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, wondered if Prime Minister Narendra Modi would end quota-based reservations “at his master Bhagwat’s bidding”.

RSS publicity chief Manmohan Vaidya also issued a statement to assert Bhagwat did not comment on the existing reservations to deprived sections, but how best the policy, as envisaged by the makers of the Constitution, can reach all the weaker sections of the society. He said the interview was on the topic of “integral humanism” and not reservations, and Bhagwat’s comments should be seen in that context.

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “It is the BJP’s firm commitment since the Jan Sangh days that reservation is essential for social and economic development and empowerment of SCs (scheduled castes), STs (scheduled tribes), backward and extremely backward castes. The BJP is not in favour of any reconsideration of reservation being extended to these groups.”

He, however, welcomed a discussion on what further can be done for the poor and the “left over” backward communities who have not been able to reap the benefits of development, while insisting that the BJP is for the existing benefits to continue.

Earlier in the day, Lalu Prasad had attacked the BJP in a series of tweets. “The so-called tea seller and recently-turned backward (Narendra) Modi should tell if he will finish reservations at his master (Mohan) Bhagwat’s bidding.”

The Congress lashed out Bhagwat’s statements, describing it as a “polarising divisive agenda” of the BJP and the RSS.

Congress’ communications in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “RSS-BJP combine continue to spread their polarising divisive agenda to undermine the rights of deprived and underprivileged, particularly the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward classes.” It was the Congress that “introduced the system of reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes in government employment, educational institutions as well as elected bodies as part of ‘affirmative action’ enshrined in India’s Constitution. It is also Congress that introduced reservation for OBCs in government employment and educational institutions in the mid-1990s and later”. He asserted that “affirmative action” was needed “in order to deal with the discrimination imposed by centuries of subjugation and oppression.”

In an interview to RSS mouthpiece Organiser, Bhagwat had pitched for a review of the reservation policy. He said the reservation policy wasn’t implemented as envisaged by the makers of the Constitution and how “since inception it has been politicised.”

Bhagwat told Organiser: “We believe, form a committee of people genuinely concerned for the interest of the whole nation and committed for social equality… they should decide which categories require reservation and for how long. The non-political committee, like autonomous commissions, should be the implementation authority; political authorities should supervise them for honesty and integrity.”

The RSS chief also said that India was primarily agrarian. “Farmers and Vanavasis (forest dwellers) are true carriers of Bharatiyata interests and way of life. Even policy reforms should follow them… industries should also be in tune with our conventional wisdom.”

He said India has continued to follow the policies of the British Raj by looking at agrarian and industrial issues in isolation and antithetical manner. He said American and European conditions, their systems of planning were different, and their solutions cannot be uniformly applied everywhere.

Bhagwat said “attaining power is an easy task, but policy making on certain principles is difficult”. He said “victory and defeat depend on momentary waves, issues converted into calculations for votes”. The RSS chief said that “even if a political party decides to work on ideological and policy lines, it gets defeated by people with selfish interests”. Bhagwat said ideologies such as socialism and liberalism have also fallen to selfish interests, like in Russia after 1917. “The US is trying to dominate the world in the name of liberal principles, but in reality there are only selfish interests and no liberalism. There was never a struggle for ideological supremacy, but of selfish interests.”