Amid a renewed debate and street protests over caste-based reservations, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said that quotas were meant to bring social equality and would continue till inequality persists. However, Bhagwat said that those who had gained from reservation should be generous enough to give up the benefits. He added that such sentiments were emerging from within some quota beneficiaries.
Bhagwat was interacting with IIMUN founder Rishabh Shah in the presence of 2,000 Gen Z and Gen Alpha youth at Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai.
Shah was putting questions to Bhagwat that had been sourced from the youth population, including school kids.
Responding to a question on whether it was time to curtail reservations in education and employment, RSS Sarasanghachalak Bhagwat said the issue should be viewed through BR Ambedkar's lens, asserting that quota would remain necessary as long as social discrimination persists.
Reservation has become a political issue amid the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests over the NEET-UG paper leak. A section of people are suggesting that some of the suicides among NEET aspirants were because the quota in education delivered additional pressure.
Asked by Shah whether the reservation should continue indefinitely or be rolled back, Bhagwat declined to give a direct yes-or-no answer.
"I will not answer you directly. I will ask you to go to what Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar thought about the reservation. If we honestly follow his advice, then there is no problem," Bhagwat said.
"Reservation exists because of social reasons. As long as social discrimination exists, reservation will continue," he said.
Bhagwat also said those who had already benefited from the reservation and achieved social and economic progress should be generous enough to step aside to allow others from their communities to benefit.
"Those who have received a reservation and whose situation has improved should have the generosity to give it up," he said, adding that such thinking was already emerging in some sections of reservation beneficiaries.
According to Bhagwat, demands for categorisation within reserved communities have arisen because there is a growing recognition that the benefits of reservation should reach everyone. He noted that even the Supreme Court has addressed the issue.
"There is a stream of thought among those who receive reservations that it is meant for our upliftment. This is not a permanent measure. We have to take advantage of it, improve ourselves, and make it useful for others who have not yet received its benefits," he said, adding that "that mindset should be encouraged."
The RSS chief argued that the implementation of the reservation should be free from political considerations. If welfare measures are implemented sincerely and honestly, he said, "the need for reservation will end sooner," and only then should discussions about its future take place.
Bhagwat also criticised the politicisation of the issue, saying it had created divisions instead of fostering social harmony.
"In reality, it was introduced as a measure for social unity. The measure itself is not wrong. But those who wield the sword are wielding it the wrong way, intentionally. Unless that is corrected, I don't see anything changing," Bhagwat said.
Bhagwat's remarks on reservation came at a time when the reservation debate has returned to the centre stage.
In recent weeks, anti-reservation protests have been reported from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Groups are demanding a review or rollback of caste-based quotas and the now-stayed UGC Equity Regulations.
The Reservation Hatao Andolan (RHA) has been mobilising support online, while NEET aspirant Harsh Dubey, whose remarks against caste-based reservation during a television debate went viral, has emerged as one of the prominent faces of the campaign. He is awaiting permission to protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
The movement against an overarching caste-based afirmative action has also spilled onto the streets.
The Shri Rajput Karni Sena led a 24-day march to Jaipur demanding the rollback of the UGC norms and vowed not to support the BJP in local body elections after around 2,000 of its members clashed with police.
Similar demonstrations have been held in Nagpur, Lucknow and Visakhapatnam. Protesters sought reservation reforms such as income-based criteria, periodic reviews and sub-categorisation.
Together, these developments have reignited one of India's most politically sensitive debates, even as political parties continue to tread cautiously on the issue.
