‘Sangh is in favour of reservation:’ Bhagwat amid political tussle

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said the organisation has always been in support of reservation and advocated for its implementation, even as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that he had expressed opposition to quotas in the past.
“A video being circulated on social media says that the Sangh is against reservation. The Sangh offers its full support to all forms of reservations offered by the Constitution. The Sangh reiterates that whoever has been given reservations should continue to have them, as long as societal inequality exists,” Bhagwat said while speaking at the inauguration of Vidya Bharati Vignana Kendra in Hyderabad.
With the help of technology and Artificial Intelligence, what did not happen can also be shown (as to have happened), he added.
Gandhi, however, alleged that the RSS chief had expressed his opposition to quotas in the past.
“RSS chief makes a statement that RSS is not against reservation. It was he (Mohan Bhagwat) who had made a statement that he was opposed to reservation,” the Congress leader said while addressing an election rally at Daman in the Union Territory of Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
“Those who are against the reservation (policy) are joining their party (BJP). They welcome all those who are against reservation, and then he (Bhagwat) says he is not against reservation,” he added.
Stating that the battle between the Congress and the RSS-BJP is an ideological one, Gandhi appealed to people to vote for “protecting” the Constitution.
Earlier, Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy accused the RSS of opposing reservations.
“Back in the day, the RSS and its affiliate groups opposed the Mandal Commission and the idea of reservation,” he said on Thursday.
Bhagwat’s remarks on Sunday assume significance as in 2015, during an interview with Organiser, an RSS mouthpiece, he had proposed a review of the reservation policy.
The RSS chief had then contended that reservations were being used for political ends and suggested setting up of an apolitical committee to examine who needs the facility and for how long.
“We believe, form a committee of people genuinely concerned for the interest of the whole nation and committee for social equality, including some representatives from the society; they should decide which category requires reservation and for how long,” he had said.
Last year, however, Bhagwat said: “We kept our own fellow human beings behind in the social system. We did not care for them, and it continued for 2000 years. Until we provide them equality, some special remedies have to be there, and reservations is one of them. Hence, reservations have to continue till there is such discrimination. We at the RSS give all support to the reservations provided in the Constitution.”