In a recent public gathering in Patliputra, Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a significant statement regarding the reservation policies in India.
PM Modi reiterated the principles of the Indian Constitution, stating, “Our constitution says that there will be no reservation based on religion in India.” He further invoked the words of Babasaheb Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution, who had firmly stated that reservation should not be based on religion.
The Prime Minister expressed his concerns about the RJD-Congress alliance’s stance on reservation. He accused them of intending to provide reservation based on religion to their vote bank, which he claimed would lead to the termination of the existing quota for SC/ST/OBC.
Reservation has always been a hot topic in Indian politics, with different parties having varied views on its implementation. The current system provides quotas for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), focusing on social and educational backwardness rather than religion.
PM Modi’s comments reflect the BJP’s commitment to uphold the current reservation system, which is based on social and educational backwardness, and not religion. These remarks are expected to strike a chord with the party’s core voter base, which has traditionally been supportive of the existing reservation system.
The RJD-Congress alliance has not yet responded to PM Modi’s comments. As the political discourse around reservation policies continues to heat up, it will be interesting to see how the different parties respond in the run-up to the upcoming elections.
