Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a public gathering in Patliputra, Bihar, made a significant statement about the reservation system in India.
PM Modi emphasized the principles of the Indian Constitution, stating, “Our constitution says that there will be no reservation based on religion in India.” He further quoted Babasaheb Ambedkar, who had asserted 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 been a contentious issue 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 resonate 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 intensify, it will be interesting to see how the different parties respond in the run-up to the upcoming elections.
