Rajnath justifies EWS quota, says B R Ambedkar wanted equality

Accusing the Congress of trying to secure votes of dalits in the name of B R Ambedkar, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Sunday said the new law guaranteeing 10 per cent quota for the poor among the general category was in tune with Modi government's commitment to ensure development of all sections.

The Constitutional amendment to provide the 10 per cent quota in government jobs and higher education to the Economically Weaker Secions (EWS) among the general category received assent of President Ram Nath Kovind January 12.

Some sections of the society have opposed this provision saying it has violated the Constitution which doesn't recognise economic backwardness as the criterion for reservation.

Addressing a public rallyhere on the concluding day of the national convention of BJP's scheduled Caste (SC) cell, Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the new reservation to realise Dalit icon Ambedkar's dream of the egalitarian society.

"Babasaheb Ambedkar had talked about liberty, equality and fraternity. He enshrined reservation in Constitution to ensure equality and the quota facility was provided for people who were economically and socially backward. Ambedkar's dream was to ensure equality," Singh said.

The home minister further said those people who could not get benefits of reservation, and those among them who are economically backward who could contribute in the development of the country, should also get reservation.

"With this objective, the prime minister provided 10 per cent reservation to fulfil the goal of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'," Singh said.

Attacking Congress, the senior BJP leader said India became the fastest growing economy in the world in just 55 months under PM Modi, which he said is the "truth" accepted by economists across the world.

"The situation will become totally clear if you compare 55 years of work by the successive Congress governments to the work done by Modi government in the last 55 months," he said.

He said in a group of ten nations, the Indian economy has jumped to the sixth slot from previous ninth rank in the last four-and-a-half years.

Singh said India will leave behind Russia, the USA and China to be among the top three nations by 2030, and its credit goes to the prime minister.

Singh said many political powers are trying to mislead the dalit community.

"The Congress tried to get Dalit votes by invoking Babasaheb Ambedkar's name. However, it is the Modi government which has proved that they are the only one who revere Babasaheb Ambedkar," he added.