Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Saturday questioned the effectiveness of offering reservation in education and jobs for an idefinite period to bring prosperity to the country.
Addressing the 'Lok Manthan' programme in Ranchi, Mahajan said: "The idea of Ambedkarji was to bring social harmony by introducing reservation for 10 years. But what we do is to extend the reservation every 10 years. There is a shortcoming".
"Will reservation bring welfare to the country?" she asked. She stressed the need to follow Dr BR Ambedkar, father of Indian Constitution to bring social harmony in society and the country.
"So long as we do not strengthen the spirit of patriotic feeling towards our country, overall development of the country is not possible," Mahajan said.
Expressing her personal opinion, Mahajan said that those who have achieved something in life must contemlate on what they did for their communities and society. "Only reservations will not change the country. There must be a change of thinking in villages about reservation", she said.
She stressed that there should be a debate, discussion and also dissent, if required, on each and every issue, but ultimately the decision should be taken in national interest.
On gender equality, she said that both are wheels of a chariot, but women are the charioteer and they have the capability to lead society.
Her remarks assume significance as it comes amidst the rising public anger over reservation demand in many parts of the country including Maharashtra.
BJP is also in a state of fix due to anger among its core base of upper caste voters ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Upper caste groups have been showing their anger to the BJP through protests in Madhya Pradesh and other states against the restoration of the provision for immediate arrest under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, that had been removed by a March 20 Supreme Court verdict.
After continuous protest by minority communites and Opposition parties against the Supreme Court judgment, the Narendra Modi Government had restored the provisions through an amendment to the Act, which was subsequently passed by Parliament in the Monsoon Session of 2018.
The BJP government was forced to vehemently defend its stance on reservation earlier this year after opposition attacks that said the party was trying to scrap the decades-old system.
BJP chief Amit Shah had said in June that the reservation system and the 1989 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will remain in force till the party is in power.
India's reservation system dates back to 1950 when government jobs and seats in state-funded colleges were allocated to the so-called lower castes of Hindu society and tribal groups.
Supporters of quotas say they are necessary as the underprivileged castes have historically had fewer opportunities for decent education but critics say the move affects the quality of education and professional services.
(With agency inputs)
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