Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Monday said caste-based reservation cannot be abolished as it is a constitutional right, asserting that no power can undermine the system as long as he remains part of the government.
Is reservation something that can be abolished just because someone says so?
It is a constitutional right," Paswan told reporters on the sidelines of a national conclave here.
Reservation, he said, is not "charity handed out to anyone" but a constitutional right that "no power on earth can ever abolish".
Referring to the treatment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Paswan said people still casually question why they need reservation, even as caste based discrimination continues in society.
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Monday said caste-based reservation cannot be abolished as it is a constitutional right, asserting that no power can undermine the system as long as he remains part of the government.
"These people see politics in everything. After all, aren't the Sangh, the BJP, and our party all part of the NDA? Is reservation something that can be abolished just because someone says so? It is a constitutional right," Paswan told reporters on the sidelines of a national conclave here.
Reservation, he said, is not "charity handed out to anyone" but a constitutional right that "no power on earth can ever abolish". Those who speak of scrapping it under the garb of "review" or "reform", he added, "likely do not even understand why reservation is necessary."
Referring to the treatment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Paswan said people still casually question why they need reservation, even as caste based discrimination continues in society.
He cited the recent controversy over Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, asking pointedly whether the stage was "purified" after he left it.
He also pointed to instances where Dalit grooms are stopped from taking out wedding processions, and where temple premises are washed with "Gangajal" after visits by prominent leaders, as evidence that untouchability persists.
