'Reservation necessary to address discrimination'

Thiruvananthapuram: Slamming RSS leader Manmohan Vaidya's remarks favouring a review of reservation policy, CPI leader D Raja Saturday said India is yet to ensure social and economic justice to all and quota is necessary to address discrimination and denial of opportunities.

"RSS by its Hindutva ideology is anti Dalit. It doesn't agree with annihilation of caste as demanded by Dr B R Ambedkar," alleged Raja, who is here in connection with the three-day national conference organised by the All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO).

RSS is raising such issues at a time when the central government is "aggressively pursuing neo liberal policies" and "reckless" disinvestment of the public sector, he told PTI.

"We are yet to ensure social justice and economic justice to all the people. Reservation is a policy to address the discrimination and denial of opportunities for ages," he said.

RSS was raising the question of review of reservation, which is in fact opposing reservation, he said.

There is need for reservation of SC/ST communities in the private sector and they must have a due share in the country's wealth, he said.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat had made similar remarks earlier about reviewing the reservation policy, he added.

RSS's publicity chief Manmohan Vaidya had yesterday kicked up a row with remarks favouring a review of the reservation policy, saying even the architect of the Constitution B R Ambedkar had not favoured its continuance in perpetuity.

But, Dattatreya Hosabale, Joint General Secretary of the RSS, later said that reservation as provided by the Constitution should continue and there should be no unnecessary controversy.

"As long as there is discrimination on the basis of birth, gender or any other social factor, the reservation as provided by the Constitution shall continue and RSS fully supports it," he had said

Raja alleged that Dalits were being attacked in the name of cow protection and atrocities against them was increasing.

"This is not just a law and order issue confined to one state. This is a question of constitutional obligation on the part of the government to protect dalits and adivasis," he said.