Nagpur: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said that he has never been in favour of discontinuing reservations, claiming that he believed in its continuance till social discrimination existed in Indian society.
Conceding that there were people who were being deprived of opportunities due to the existence of the reservation system, Bhagwat stressed that people who have suffered for centuries due to social disparity in the country must be given an opportunity.
Bhagwat's comments come months after he kicked off a huge controversy when he pitched for a review of the reservation policy that cost the BJP dearly in the Bihar elections. Contending that reservations had been used for political ends, Bhagwat had earlier suggested setting up of an apolitical committee to examine who needed reservations and for how long.
"If we would have implemented this (reservation) policy as envisaged by the Constitution makers instead of doing politics over it, then the present situation would not have arrived. Since inception it has been politicised," Bhagwat had said in the wake of violent protests by the Patel community in Gujarat in demand for a share in the OBC reservations.
However, Bhagwat today sought to distance himself from his views expressed earlier, saying the society was divided over the issue and that he had never said reservations should be discontinued.
“Reservations shall exist till social discrimination exists in India. This is what the Sangh believes in,” Bhagwat said in Nagpur today.
“They suffered for a thousand years; can we not suffer a little for a hundred years?
“They must get reservation,” he added.
In a critical take on the social dynamics existing in India, Bhagwat said discrimination on the basis of caste is a reality and that the decision to discontinue reservations on the basis of caste must come from those who have suffered due to it.
“The reality is that society has discriminated on the basis of caste. It still exists. The admission that caste based discrimination has ended and that reservations on this basis should be removed needs to come from those who have suffered due to it (social discrimination),” he said.
Bhagwat went on to cite examples of news reports regarding incidents where people are denied entry to a temple or people from lower castes being assaulted for drawing water from a well.
“They have suffered this pain for thousands of years but have remained with the country, with the Hindu society. If we claim to be a united society, we should suffer for a 100 years, even if it causes us some pain,” Bhagwat said.
Bhagwat further observed that people were still to recognise that discrimination was “acceptable earlier” but was not tolerable in today's time and age.
“No individual should be subjected to injustice,” he said.
