Sangh supports reservation: Bhagwat

PTI

Hyderabad, April 28

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday asserted the organisation has always been supportive of reservation, and advocated for its implementation as long as “discrimination exists,” comments that came in the wake of a viral video claiming the Sangh was against the quota system.

The remarks also assume significance as the Opposition, especially the Congress has mounted an attack against the Rashtria Swayamsevak Sangh and the ruling BJP at the Centre, accusing them of being opposed to reservation.

Rahul reminds rss of previous stance

• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the RSS, the ideological mentor of the BJP, may have changed its tone now but it did in the past advocate scrapping the quota system
• He alleged that RSS and BJP were trying to destroy the Constitution to make their leaders "kings" of the country. He said while RSS wanted to do away with the Constitution, Congress was fighting to protect it

Speaking at the inauguration of Vidya Bharati Vignana Kendra here, Bhagwat referred to the video in circulation and said it falsely claims the RSS was opposed to reservation. The video shows him as holding a meeting, he said but claimed it never happened.

“RSS has been supporting reservations as per the Constitution since the time it came.”

“The Sangh says that reservation should continue till the time people, to those whom it is given, feel they need it; or, it is given due to social reasons till discrimination exists,” he added.

With the help of technology and AI what did not happen can also be shown (as to have happened), he said.

Bhagwat’s pro-reservation statement also comes in the backdrop of the Congress alleging that BJP and RSS are against the quota system.

In his response to Bhagwat’s remarks on the matter, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed though the RSS is now saying it was not against reservation, it had earlier spoken about opposing the quota system.

Addressing a campaign rally at Daman and Diu on Sunday, Rahul said the Bhagwat “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. 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,” Gandhi alleged.

Incidentally, in a sharp attack on the RSS, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had earlier said that when the organisation was founded in 1925, it had decided to announce the nation as a “Hindu country” and to scrap the reservations in 100 years, i.e by 2025.

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