New Delhi, Aug. 27 -- Union minister JP Nadda on Thursday met representatives of the Reservation Hatao Andolan, days after the group held a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding that caste-based reservation be replaced with quotas based on economic status, disability or family circumstances. The meeting followed the group's August 21 protest, which called for reservations in public educational institutions and government jobs to be provided strictly on economic grounds, disability or family status instead of caste.
Nadda said the discussion with Harsh Dubey, Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan and Mrityunjay Pathak, who were part of the group, was held as scheduled. He added that another meeting would take place soon.
Group calls meeting a step towards dialogue
In a post on X, Dubey described the meeting as an important step towards dialogue. He said the group would meet Nadda again and work towards a positive and just decision in the interest of society.
Dubey also said the group was not against any particular section but wanted to democratically and peacefully put forward its views on equal opportunities, a fair system and reforms in the national interest. Nadda did not elaborate on the demands raised by the group or provide details about what was discussed during the meeting.
Existing reservation structure
At present, Other Backward Classes receive 27% reservation, Scheduled Castes 15%, Scheduled Tribes 7.5% and Economically Weaker Sections 10%. The August 21 protest took place ahead of assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh. The outreach comes amid wider political attention around demands for changes to the existing reservation system.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.