New Delhi: After the scrapping of Article 370, what next? The question has been nagging most minds and it will vex them further when they consider RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s carefully worded statement on Sunday.
There should be conversation in a harmonious atmosphere between those in favour of reservation and those against it, Bhagwat said. He added he had spoken on reservation earlier as well, but it created a lot of ruckus and the whole discussion went off the tangent.
(The reference was possibly to his statement in poll-bound Bihar in 2014 when he had called for a review of the reservation policy, eliciting sharp reactions from many parties and caste groups.)
Those who favour reservation should speak keeping in mind the interests of those who are against it, and those who oppose it should do the vice-versa, he said.
He said that a discussion on reservation invariably elicits sharp reactions whereas there is a need for harmony, so that a less discordant view emerges.
Bhagwat also said that the RSS, the BJP and the party-led government were three different entities and one cannot be held responsible for the action of another.
Talking about the perception of the influence Sangh wields over the Narendra Modi dispensation, Bhagwat said, "Since there are Sangh workers in the BJP and this government, they will listen to the RSS, but it is not mandatory for them to agree with us. They can disagree as well."
Since the BJP is in government, it has to look at the bigger picture and can disagree with the RSS point of view, he said, adding that once a party comes to power, for it the national interest becomes a priority.
Gyan Utsav was organised by the RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here.
