‘Reservation Is a Constitutional Right, Not Charity’: Chirag Paswan, Akhilesh Yadav Oppose Abolition Calls
New Delhi: Union Minister Chirag Paswan and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav have strongly defended the reservation system, calling it a constitutional right rather than a concession. Their remarks came amid student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar seeking an end to reservation.
Speaking to reporters at Patna airport on Friday before leaving for Delhi, Paswan said reservation could not be withdrawn simply because some people demanded its abolition.
“Reservation is not something that can be ended at anyone’s demand, nor is it charity given to anyone,” Paswan said.
He said reservation was guaranteed by the Constitution and was not a benefit that any government could grant or withdraw at its discretion.
For Social Justice
Paswan said the reservation system was created to help communities that had suffered social discrimination for generations secure a place in the mainstream, as reported by India Today.
Referring to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, he said the Constitution had specifically recognised their historical disadvantage and provided reservation to support their progress.
The Union minister also argued that discrimination continues to exist in society. He said incidents of social exclusion are still being reported, making it necessary to keep the debate on social justice alive.
Paswan referred to an incident involving Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Uttarakhand to highlight the persistence of discriminatory practices.
Asked about Union Minister Ramdas Athawale’s comments regarding those protesting against reservation, Paswan said the protesters were entitled to raise their concerns.
He said the issue should be handled through discussion rather than confrontation. Dialogue, he added, could help the protesters understand why reservation was introduced and why it remained necessary.
Akhilesh Warns Against ‘Reform’ Bid
Akhilesh Yadav also rejected any proposal to end reservation, asserting that the provision could not be abolished at anyone’s discretion, as reported by ap7am.com.
“Reservation was, is and will remain,” he said.
In a post on X, the SP chief alleged that a plan was being prepared to dismantle reservation in the name of “reservation reform”. He described the move as “another deep plot against PDA society”.
The Samajwadi Party uses PDA to refer to Pichhda or backward classes, Dalits and minorities.
“Reservation is the right of PDA, not the subject of anyone’s whim,” the SP chief added.
Yadav further accused the BJP and its allies of repeatedly attempting to weaken the reservation system through different arguments and formulations.
“The way BJP and its allies oppose reservation from time to time by using vague words like ‘review’ or ‘reform’ or sometimes talk about ‘creamy layer’ or advise to ‘give up reservation’, these are different masks of the continuous effort to usurp the right to reservation that has been given to the exploited and deprived people for centuries,” Akhilesh Yadav alleged.
Athawale Backs Safeguards
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale, speaking to reporters in Patna on Saturday, also expressed similar views saying no individual or organisation had the authority to abolish reservation.
“I believe that no one has the right to abolish reservation. It is a Constitutional right.”
Athawale said B.R. Ambedkar had played a key role in securing constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. He added that reservation for Other Backward Classes was introduced during the tenure of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh.
“After that, the Narendra Modi government also provided 10 per cent reservation to the economically weaker sections. Today, various communities receive reservation. Therefore, no one has the right to abolish it. Those who demand its abolition are acting against national interests. Action should be taken against them,” the Union Minister said.
