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Updated: Aug 20, 2019 04:27 IST

The Congress on Monday accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), of being anti-Dalit and pushing for ending caste-based reservation. The BJP and the RSS denied the charges.

“…the BJP has always been trying to change the Constitution. They always advocate abolishing the Constitution. Now they want to debate reservation,” said Congress leader P L Punia. He added Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, who headed the Constitution’s Drafting Commission, believed that socio-economic inequality would be a challenge and had brought in reservation to address it.

Punia’s comments came a day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called for a dialogue between the backers and opponents of the reservation.

The BJP and RSS denied that Bhagwat’s comment alluded to a rethink on reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

Punia insisted ending reservation is a well-planned strategy of the BJP and RSS. “They want to end reservation in the backdrop of a discussion which is condemnable and shows their ill thoughts.” He added the BJP played a role in weakening the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

“…they said there are some shortcomings in it and it can be misused… Based on this, the Supreme Court [SC] gave its decision,” Punia said. “After the SC barred automatic arrest under the Act and sought a preliminary inquiry, which led to widespread protests across the country, the central government brought in an ordinance to restore the provisions of the Act.”

The RSS issued a statement denying the Congress’s allegations. It said the Sangh supports reservation for SCs, STs, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and economically backward sections of the society. It added Bhagwat’s statement is being misconstrued.

Bhagwat had said the RSS backs the existing policy while answering a question on reservation during a three-day lecture series in New Delhi in 2018. “It should continue until such a time that the communities that it is meant for proclaim that it is not required anymore. As for reservation for communities [OBCs and the creamy layer] there are forums to decide on this. Politics of reservation is the problem, not the reservation.”

A BJP leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Bhagwat’s statement does not indicate is a shift in the government’s policy towards reservation. “The RSS and BJP are not against reservation and do not intend to withdraw it,” the BJP leader said.

Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “This has become a habit of the BJP and its ideological master—the RSS—to keep raking up issues and creating conflict in the society about issues on which opinions are sharply divided, issues that can divert the attention of the people from the day-to-day problems that they are facing under this government.”

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday tweeted, “So the RSS has declared in a tweet that all ‘issues in the society’ should be resolved through cordial dialogue? I suppose either Modiji and his government no longer respect the RSS’s views or they don’t believe that there is an “issue” in Jammu and Kashmir. Interesting....”