Reservation necessary to address discrimination: Raja

Slamming RSS leader Manmohan Vaidya's remarks favouring a review of reservation policy, CPI leader D Raja today said India is yet to ensure social and economic justice to all and quota is necessary to address discrimination and denial of opportunities.
"RSS by its Hindutva ideology is anti Dalit. It doesn't agree with annihilation of caste as demanded by Dr B R Ambedkar," alleged Raja, who is here in connection with the three-day national conference organised by the All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO).
RSS is raising such issues at a time when the central government is "aggressively pursuing neo liberal policies" and "reckless" disinvestment of the public sector, he told PTI.

"We are yet to ensure social justice and economic justice to all the people. Reservation is a policy to address the discrimination and denial of opportunities for ages," he said.
RSS was raising the question of review of reservation, which is in fact opposing reservation, he said.
There is need for reservation of SC/ST communities in the private sector and they must have a due share in the country's wealth, he said.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat had made similar remarks earlier about reviewing the reservation policy, he added.
RSS's publicity chief Manmohan Vaidya had yesterday kicked up a row with remarks favouring a review of the reservation policy, saying even the architect of the Constitution B R Ambedkar had not favoured its continuance in perpetuity.

But, DattatreyaHosabale, Joint General Secretary of the RSS, later said that reservation as provided by the Constitution should continue and there should be no unnecessary controversy.
"As long as there is discrimination on the basis of birth, gender or any other social factor, the reservation as provided by the Constitution shall continue and RSS fully supports it," he had said
Raja alleged that Dalits were being attacked in the name of cow protection and atrocities against them was increasing.
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On mounting protests in Tamil Nadu over 'Jallikattu', Raja saidIndia was not one culture, but a composite one and therefore, the ban on the bull taming sport is considered "an assault on Tamil celebrations, tradition and identity".

Pointing to India being a pluralist country, he alleged that ever since the Modi government came to power, this had been under attack and the Union government had failed to respect the composite culture of the country.
"The Union government should understand this...The judiciary should should take note of this and see it from a historic perspective," he said, adding Indian society and democracy is pluralistic and one cannot impose uniformity.
On demonetisation, Raja said it had affected the economy, subjecting the common people to hardships and sufferings.
Asked about the statement of Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu, accusing the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala of practising 'murderous policies' and warning that 'they will get it back politically', he said Naidu was a senior minister and should not have used such language on such a sensitive matter.

"Violence needs to be condemned", he said, adding provocative statements should have been avoided.
On the BJP leadership in Kerala seeking central intervention to curb violence, he said this was another form of intimidation and were 'empty threats'.