[Although there was no official reaction from the BJP, sources admitted to being "puzzled" and "anguished" over the RSS chief's latest pronouncements. "It looks like he wants to queer the pitch for the BJP in, and ensure its defeat, in Bihar. Why and to what end, we don't know," a source conceded.]
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1151015/jsp/nation/story_48105.jsp Bhagwat torments BJP again on quotaOur Special Correspondent Mohanrao Bhagwat *New Delhi, Oct. 14: *RSS chief Mohanrao Bhagwat has restated his quota position and said it is time to "assess" the 70-year-old system to weed out those who had used it over generations and benefit the "genuinely deserving", potentially queering the BJP's Bihar poll pitch further. The latest assertion, less than a month after Bhagwat's call suggesting a review of reservations, will give more ballast to the RJD-Janata Dal United combine's campaign projecting the BJP and the Sangh *parivar* as being opposed to reservations. The statements were made during an interaction yesterday with civil society in the Uttar Pradesh city of Gorakhpur, only 180km from the Bihar border. They were reported in papers published from Patna and other towns. According to news reports - which have not been denied by the RSS - Bhagwat was asked if the position he had taken on quotas last month in an interview to RSS weekly *Organiser* had created an impression that he was against reservations. His reported answer was while he wasn't against reservations, he had sought an evaluation of which sections had gained over the policy's 70 years. "It is time to see how many people have benefited from reservations through succeeding generations. Such people seem to have gained substantially but there are many who are still outside the reservations ambit. Their lifestyles have not improved. That is why I asked for a debate on an assessment of the existing beneficiaries as against those who have left out," Bhagwat reportedly said. ***Although there was no official reaction from the BJP, sources admitted to being "puzzled" and "anguished" over the RSS chief's latest pronouncements. "It looks like he wants to queer the pitch for the BJP in, and ensure its defeat, in Bihar. Why and to what end, we don't know," a source conceded.*** [Emphasis added.] To a question on reservations in his September interview to *Organiser*, Bhagwat had said: "If we would have implemented this policy as envisaged by the Constitution makers instead of doing politics over it, then the present situation would not have arrived. Since inception, it (the reservations issue) has been politicised. We believe, form a committee of people genuinely concerned in the interest of the whole nation and committed to social equality, including some representatives from (civil) society... they should decide which categories require reservation and for how long." RSS spokesperson Manmohan Vaidya denied any political motive behind Bhagwat's statements. "First, he did not say end reservations. He has only asked for a time-bound assessment to find out why it has not reached large targeted sections. Moreover, the Sangh does not look at issues in terms of politics. It is committed to nation-building, not winning elections. It is for the BJP to answer political questions." However, Bhagwat has in the past built a perception of being interested in micro-managing the BJP and sorting out its leadership issues. This happened both when Nitin Gadkari, his apparent favourite, was nominated party chief and when Narendra Modi was picked the prime-ministerial candidate. Since the Modi government took charge last year, Bhagwat has kept himself in the background but stepped in when necessary, as in December 2014. He did so against the backdrop of a campaign by pro-Hindutva groups and elements fanning communal sentiments over issues like "reconversions". The RSS chief counselled them to back off and keep peace with the government. This time, though, it is not clear yet what prompted him to hammer away on quotas *, *given its extreme sensitivity in Bihar and the electoral implications for the BJP. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
