HENB | Nagpur | Dec 17, 2015:: Making a self-rejoinder to his previous statement that the quota system needed a review, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said reservation should continue in the country as long as there was social discrimination and asserted that the Sangh was not in favour of scrapping it.
“RSS is of the firm opinion that there is no question of scrapping the reservation system. Reservation in the country should continue as long as social discrimination prevails in the Indian society,” Bhagwat said while delivering a lecture on ‘social assimilation’ here on Wednesday evening.
Dr Bhagwat was delivering a lecture to commemorate the birth centenary year of second RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras. At the event organized by Nagpur Nagarik Sahakari Bank, he was delivering a lecture on ‘Social equality’. “The present generation looks down upon reservations. Certain sections of the society have suffered discrimination for long. If they have suffered for thousands of years, can you not suffer for even a hundred,” he asked.
“Even today, some people are forbidden from entering temples. Some are killed for drawing water from public wells. Such social differences have always existed. They were tolerated earlier, but can’t be anymore. Such discrimination vitiates the social fabric. As long as they prevail, reservation system will be required,” said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
Dr Bhagwat explained untouchability and discrimination on caste basis as social vices in Hindu concepts and it has no conformity with the philosophical views of Hindu Dharma. He has given a clarion call to eradicate such vices from Hindu society without any delay.
Incidentally, Bhagwat’s earlier remarks on seeking review of the reservation policy just before the Bihar Assembly polls had stirred a controversy, with many seeing it as one of the main reasons for BJP’s debacle in the state elections.
On ‘social assimilation’, the RSS chief said the beginning should be from self and extended to the immediate family, extended family and the society.
“This should be done by respecting the diversity in the society, but following the values and philosophy behind the spirit of Hinduism,” he said.
Elaborating the concept of ‘social harmony and integrity’, Bhagwat said, “No religion, sect, social reformer or saint supported discrimination between human beings. Equality has been the essence at the origin of every sect, which was later divided into castes and sects by us. Discrimination also was born out of behaviour of the people.”
The progress of the country depends on social equality, and it starts from every household, said Bhagwat. “For this, we will need to free the new generation from social evils like class and caste difference. We should encourage a disregard for all these differences,” he said.
RSS has recently adopted a Hindu Unity programme of Samrasta (equality programme) throughout the country in each and every Sakha (daily prog) and Samprak (contact) units in January 2016 (Jan 3 to 10).
__Agencies.