Got Question about the News?

Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday said reservation cannot be abolished simply because some people demand its removal. He stressed that it is a constitutional right and not a form of charity.

Speaking in Patna, Paswan was responding to questions about protests in Jantar Mantar demanding an end to the reservation system.

“Reservation is not something that can be ended simply because someone demands it. Nor is it charity given to anyone. Reservation is a constitutional right," he was quoted saying by IANS.

Paswan’s remarks come amid protests against the reservation system, with demonstrators demanding changes to the existing framework. Calls for an end to affirmative action had emerged in the wake of the students’ protest demanding the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over multiple paper leaks in his tenure.

The anti-paper leak movement had sought to create unity among students cutting across class, caste, and religious lines. On the other hand, the anti-reservation protests seek to put forward a sectional demand, presenting the dominant castes as victims of affirmative action policies that were introduced to undo the damage of thousands of years old caste system.

Paswan said reservation was created to help communities, that had faced discrimination and exclusion for generations, become part of the mainstream.

“The idea behind it has been to bring people from communities that have faced discrimination for one reason or another into the mainstream…" Paswan said, according to the news agency.

He has previously stressed that reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is rooted in the Constitution and cannot be treated as a concession that governments can withdraw based on public demands.

The minister’s remarks also come amid a wider debate over caste-based discrimination and social justice. Paswan has pointed to continuing instances of discrimination while arguing that the issues that led to the introduction of reservation have not disappeared.

Paswan also said concerns raised by those opposing reservation should be addressed through dialogue. His comments came after Union Minister Ramdas Athawale criticised those protesting against the reservation system.

Paswan said the protesters had the right to express their concerns and that discussions could help them understand why reservation was introduced and why it remains necessary.

He maintained that the constitutional purpose of reservation was to provide greater opportunities to communities that had historically faced discrimination and bring them into the mainstream.

Reservation in India is a constitutional provision aimed at providing equal opportunities to socially and educationally backward classes. It is based on historical, social, and economic backwardness. Specific constitutional articles include Article 15(6) for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Article 16(4) for reservation in government jobs for backward classes that are not adequately represented.

Dialogue could help anti-reservation protesters understand why reservation was introduced and why it remains necessary. Chirag Paswan stated that reservation is a constitutional right, not charity, and cannot be abolished simply because some people demand its removal.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan has stated that reservation is a constitutional right and cannot be abolished simply because some people demand its removal. He emphasised that it is not charity but a mechanism to bring communities that have faced discrimination into the mainstream.