Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Madhya Pradesh Minister Gopal Bhargava, on Monday, said that the reservation system often does not work in the best of interests of the people or the nation.

Citing the unfair nature of selection for a job or for admissions into a college, when a candidate with lower academic proficiency is selected over a more deserving candidate on the grounds of reservation, he said that such a practice may have adverse effects on the nation in the longer run."If the eligibility process is bypassed in a way that a person with 40 percent marks is selected over someone with 90 percent, such a practice may be harmful for the country (Yadi yogyata ko darkinar kar ke ayogya logon ka chayan kiya jaaega, yadi 90 percent waale ko baitha diya jaaega aur 40 percent wale ki niyukti ki jaaegi toh ye desh ke liye ghatak hai)," said the BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh.However, the minister later issued clarification for the above statements, saying "My remarks have been misconstrued, I deeply respect the constitutionally accepted reservations, also, nowhere in my speech did I mention the word 'reservation'," said Bhargava.

Gopal Bhargava statement comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and BJP President Amit Shah have been making efforts to counter Opposition charge that present NDA government is 'anti-Dalit' and they are forced to live in tremendous fear.

BJP president Amit Shah on April 4 said the central government would neither scrap the policy of reservation for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in education and jobs nor allow anyone to do so.Addressing a public meeting Amit Shah said that "no one can dare to change" the reservation policy "as set by BR Ambedkar in the Constitution".

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Recently, Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, on Saturday, at an event to commemorate Ambedkar Jayanti, said that no one holds the power to end reservation in education and government jobs.Lok Janshakti Part Chief and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan also hit out at the lack of representation of the SCs and STs in the judiciary system, suggesting an all-India level competitive exam for effecting reservation in the same.Upendra Kushwaha, another Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party chief, asserted on his opinion that no one can dare to think of abolishing the reservation system in the country.

(With inputs from agencies)