BSP chief Mayawati criticised the protest against caste-based reservation at Jantar Mantar, calling it inappropriate and not in the nation's interest. She urged governments not to protect anti-reservation elements and to uphold constitutional provisions.

Mayawati slams protest against caste-based reservation

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday criticised the protest held at Delhi's Jantar Mantar against caste-based reservation, saying that demanding economic-based reservation while opposing the constitutional provisions for SC, ST and OBC communities was "not appropriate or in the interest of the nation" and that governments should not provide any shelter or protection to anti-reservation elements.

In a post on X, Mayawati said, "The recent demand raised by some people who gathered at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to implement reservation on economic grounds, against the reservations provided to the SC, ST, and OBC communities in the Constitution, is in no way appropriate or in the interest of the nation."

She added, "They should not undertake any action regarding reservation that harms the constitutional efforts to build an egalitarian society, a developed and honoured country."

'System has failed to implement reservation'

Her remarks came after a large number of people gathered at Jantar Mantar on Friday to protest against caste-based reservation. https://x.com/Mayawati/status/2091367482967900373?s=20 Mayawati said, "In reality, this is especially the corrupt and casteist governmental system that has never properly implemented the constitutional constructive provisions of reservation on the ground, due to which the people of the SC, ST, and OBC communities, even after such a long period since independence, continue to endure the suffering of poverty, casteist hatred, exploitation, atrocities, and the poison of casteism every day at every level without respite."

She further said, "Therefore, all governments should not provide any shelter or protection to anti-reservation elements at all, as this would be in the broader interest of the nation and the people."

Appealing to people, the BSP chief said, "They should not engage in or allow cheap politics on such an important and sensitive issue as reservation."

Referring to Dr BR Ambedkar, Mayawati said, "Regarding the constitutional provision of reservation made for the people of the SC, ST, and OBC communities who have been victims of the inhumanity of casteism for centuries, the revered Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar had said that 'abandoning casteism is the greatest patriotism'."

On Economic-Based Reservation

On reservation based on economic grounds, she said, "The central and state governments spend considerable government funds every year on not just one but numerous programmes for poverty eradication; however, if the people of the country do not receive the proper benefits due to the prevalent corruption and other issues, this is a direct fault of the governmental system."

She added, "The new system of reservation on economic grounds is also in place in the country, but even its proper benefits are not reaching the poor families of the upper-caste society; rather, there is more deception in it."

Mayawati targets Congress, Rahul Gandhi

Targeting Congress over Rahul Gandhi's protest outside Parliament Street Police Station seeking registration of an FIR for a student protester, Mayawati said, "Rahul Gandhi sat on a dharna for several hours outside the Parliament police station to get an FIR registered in the case of a victim, to which the party has no objection."

However, she questioned Congress leaders for not visiting the Jantar Mantar protest, saying, "Right next to it, at Jantar-Mantar, a dharna-protest was also underway to end the reservation given to Dalits and the exploited on the basis of caste, yet neither he nor any of his Congress companions went there even to reason with them."

She added that this "clearly reveals their still anti-reservation mindset towards these sections."

Protest at Jantar Mantar

Meanwhile, a large number of people gathered at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Friday to protest against caste-based reservation, following which the Delhi Police and Central Forces were deployed at the protest site to maintain law and order.

Security personnel were seen present at Jantar Mantar as protesters assembled at the designated protest area. The police deployment was carried out as a precautionary measure amid the large gathering.

The protesters raised demands against the existing reservation system based on caste and called for a review of the policy. This happened after an organisation's official Instagram page, which has 5.6 million followers, shared a poster on Thursday announcing a "peaceful protest" at Jantar Mantar and urging people to join the gathering at 2 pm on August 21.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)