Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has reiterated that caste-based reservations will remain in place until social inequality is eradicated, aligning with B.R. Ambedkar’s vision of affirmative action.
Addressing Gen Z and Gen Alpha youth at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Bhagwat emphasised that the system was designed to foster social unity, not division.
He urged individuals who have already benefited from reservation and achieved socio-economic progress to voluntarily give up their quota benefits, allowing others in their communities to access opportunities. “Those who have risen should step aside so that others can rise too,” Bhagwat remarked, stressing that welfare measures must be implemented sincerely and free from political motives.
Bhagwat also supported sub-categorisation within reserved communities to ensure equitable distribution of benefits, noting that even the Supreme Court has addressed this issue. He criticized the politicisation of reservation, arguing that political exploitation has deepened divides rather than bridging them. “Reservation was meant to unite society, but politics has turned it into a tool of division,” he said.
His comments come amid renewed protests and debates across states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, where groups are demanding reforms such as income-based criteria, periodic reviews, and sub-categorisation. The issue has resurfaced as a flashpoint in national discourse, with communities pressing for fairer distribution of benefits.
Bhagwat’s remarks highlight the RSS’s stance that while reservations remain essential to address historical discrimination, the path forward requires both sincerity in implementation and voluntary responsibility from those already uplifted. His call for depoliticisation underscores the need to restore reservation’s original purpose—social justice and unity—rather than allowing it to be reduced to electoral arithmetic.
At a time when reservation continues to dominate political and social debates, Bhagwat’s appeal seeks to balance continuity with reform, urging society to move toward inclusivity while ensuring that benefits reach those who need them most.
