Nadda meets anti-reservation group in Delhi
Union Minister JP Nadda on Thursday met a group under the banner of Reservation Hatao Andolan in New Delhi, days after they protested against the reservation system on August 21 at the Jantar Mantar. The group included NEET aspirant Harsh Dubey, Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan and Mrityunjay Pathak, who are opposed to reservations and are demanding what they describe as equal opportunities for all communities.
“Following the movement that took place at Jantar Mantar on 21 August, cordial discussions were held, as per the pre-determined schedule, with Harsh Dubey, Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan, and Mrityunjay Pathak, members of the team. In this connection, we will meet again soon,” Nadda posted on X.
He did not refer to their demands, nor did he elaborate on what transpired at the meeting with its representatives. The Government had not indicated earlier that a meeting with the group was scheduled.
Protesters opposed caste-based reservation and the now-stayed UGC equity regulations, with several demanding that affirmative-action benefits be linked to economic circumstances. The demonstration also drew groups such as the General Sena, Chanakya Sena and Shri Rajput Karni Sena, which has held protests in Rajasthan’s Jaipur.
Reacting to the meeting, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder and convenor Abhijeet Dipke asked why Nadda didn’t mention what the protest on August 21 at Jantar Mantar was for. “The country wants to know what Prime Minister Narendra Modi thinks of it,” Dipke said on X. The meeting comes days after Dubey and other reservation-reform representatives met Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak in Lucknow. Pathak had promised to place their demands before the BJP’s central leadership and arrange a meeting with a Union Minister within 48 hours.
