Quota used for political ends, says RSS chief and seeks policy review

Current policy of reservations not in line with what the makers of the Indian constitution wanted

GN Bureau | September 21, 2015


#quota   #patel   #rss   #mohan bhagwat   #reservation   #obc  

Seeking a committee with representatives from the civil society, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has pitched for a review of the reservation policy. He has said that the quota issue has been used for political ends. Bhagwat's remarks come in the wake of violent protests by the Patel community in Gujarat who are demanding a share in the OBC reservation pie.

"We believe, form a committee of people genuinely concerned for the interest of the whole nation and committed for social equality, including some representatives from the society, 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," he has said. His suggestions have been published in Sangh mouthpiece 'Organiser' and 'Panchjanya' interview.

Arguing that the policy of reservations based on social backwardness being extended now is not in line with what the makers of the Indian constitution had in mind, Bhagwat said had quotas been implemented as per the vision of the constitution makers questions on the issue would not have surfaced.

"If we would have implemented this policy as envisaged by the constitution makers instead of doing politics over it, then present situation would not have arrived. Since inception it has been politicised," he said.

He said though "interest groups" do get formed in democracy, aspirations of one section should not be met at the cost of others.

"Interest groups are formed because we have certain aspirations in democracy. At the same time, we should remember that through interest groups we should not strive to address those aspirations at the cost of others.

"We should have integral approach of welfare for all. It is sensible to realize that my interest lies in larger national interest. Government also has to be sensitive to these issues that there should not be any agitation for them," Bhagwat said.

Comments

 

Other News

Elections 2024: 1,351 candidates in fray for Phase 3

As many as 1,351 candidates from 12 states /UTs are contesting elections in Phase 3 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The number includes eight contesting candidates for the adjourned poll in 29-Betul (ST) PC of Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, one candidate from Surat PC in Gujarat has been elected unopp

2023-24 net direct tax collections exceed budget estimates by 7.40%

The provisional figures of direct tax collections for the financial year 2023-24 show that net collections are at Rs. 19.58 lakh crore, 17.70% more than Rs. 16.64 lakh crore in 2022-23. The Budget Estimates (BE) for Direct Tax revenue in the Union Budget for FY 2023-24 were fixed at Rs. 18.

‘World’s biggest festival of democracy’ begins

The much-awaited General Elections of 2024, billed as the world’s biggest festival of democracy, began on Friday with Phase 1 of polling in 102 Parliamentary Constituencies (the highest among all seven phases) in 21 States/ UTs and 92 Assembly Constituencies in the State Assembly Elections in Arunach

A sustainability warrior’s heartfelt stories of life’s fleeting moments

Fit In, Stand Out, Walk: Stories from a Pushed Away Hill By Shailini Sheth Amin Notion Press, Rs 399

What EU’s AI Act means for the world

The recent European Union (EU) policy on artificial intelligence (AI) will be a game-changer and likely to become the de-facto standard not only for the conduct of businesses but also for the way consumers think about AI tools. Governments across the globe have been grappling with the rapid rise of AI tool

Indian Railways celebrates 171 years of its pioneering journey

The Indian Railways is celebrating 171 glorious years of its existence. Going back in time, the first train in India (and Asia) ran between Mumbai and Thane on April 16, 1853. It was flagged off from Boribunder (where CSMT stands today). As the years passed, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway which ran the

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter