Patna: LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan on Monday said reservation was not a matter of charity but a constitutional right and said any attempt to abolish or weaken the system would not be tolerated. He was reacting to the ‘Remove Reservation’ movement that originated at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Sunday.“As long as I am here, and as long as Ram Vilas Paswan’s son, Chirag Paswan, is part of the govt, no attempt to weaken or abolish the reservation system will be tolerated,” he said.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had accused the Narendra Modi govt of abolishing reservation through the back door.Paswan said reservation could not be abolished merely because someone demanded it. “Even the idea of reviewing or altering the reservation system reflected a failure to understand the continuing social inequalities faced by deprived and backward sections,” he said.The minister pointed to instances of discrimination against dalits, including attempts to prevent dalit grooms from riding horses during wedding processions and obstruction of wedding ceremonies. He also referred to incidents in which temple premises were allegedly purified with Gangajal after being visited by dalit public representatives.“These incidents show that the mindset of social discrimination has not yet been completely eliminated from society,” Paswan said. As long as such discrimination persisted, the need for reservation could not be questioned, he added.The Union minister described reservation as an important constitutional mechanism to ensure equal opportunities and the participation of deprived and backward communities in the mainstream.Paswan said the LJP(RV) remained committed to social justice and protection of the rights of deprived sections. “Instead of creating confusion over reservation, he urged people to recognise the social realities that continue to make affirmative action necessary,” he told reporters.
