New Delhi: Amid a slew of accusations from the Opposition, alleging the BJP and RSS stand against reservations, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat clarified on Sunday that the organisation has consistently upheld reservations in line with the Constitution.
Speaking at an event hosted by an educational institution in Hyderabad, Bhagwat referred to a circulated video falsely portraying RSS opposition to reservations. He emphasised that since the inception of reservations, the Sangh has unequivocally supported the constitutional framework for reservations.
“A video is being circulated on social media platforms claiming that the Sangh is against reservation. Behind this patently false and misleading video are people, who preach reservation when outside, among the people, but work against the idea behind the scenes. Such claims are totally baseless,” news agency ANI quoted Bhagwat as saying.
"The Sangh has always stood for reservation, as sanctioned and guaranteed under the Constitution, from the very beginning. We believe that reservation should continue as long as it is necessary for those who need it, as they are provided for reasons of backwardness and lack of parity in terms of their living or social standing. The quotas should remain in place as long as discriminations aren't eliminated,” he added.
Bhagwat's statement comes amid a heated exchange between the BJP and Congress regarding reservations. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy accused RSS-BJP of opposing reservations.
However, Bhagwat had previously stated in Nagpur last year that reservations should persist as long as societal discrimination persists, even if it remains invisible.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi countered Bhagwat's assertion, claiming that despite the RSS's current stance on reservations, they had previously expressed opposition to quotas. Speaking at a campaign rally in Daman, Gandhi accused the RSS and BJP of undermining the Constitution and trying to establish their leaders as the country's rulers.
"The RSS is now claiming they don't oppose reservations, but earlier, they did," Gandhi stated, framing the Congress's battle against RSS-BJP as “ideological” and urging support to safeguard the Constitution.
Highlighting the ideological contrast, Gandhi portrayed the Congress as defenders of the Constitution against the RSS-BJP's purported agenda of its destruction, along with democracy and various institutions.
"The Constitution has served as the foundation, the seed from which these institutions have emerged. They want to destroy the Constitution, they want to destroy democracy, and different institutions, and make the RSS-BJP kings (leaders) as the kings of the country," he said.