Amid protests over Maratha reservation in Maharashtra, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said, "the Sangh gives complete support to the reservations provided in the Constitution". He added that reservations should continue till there is discrimination.

"We kept our own fellow human beings behind in the social system...We did not care for them, and this continued for almost 2,000 years...Until we provide them equality, some special remedies have to be done...Reservations are one of them," Bhagwat said. Reservations are about "giving respect" and not just about ensuring financial or political equality, the RSS chief further said.

Bhagwat's statement came ahead of state elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Mizroram and Lok Sabha polls next year. Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, Haryana and Maharashtra are slated for 2024.

Reservation is an issue in most of these states. In Madhya Pradesh, which is going to polls this year, the high court had put a stay on further appointments involving a 27 percent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) that surpasses the 50 percent reservation cap. Earlier in April, the state government's decision to include the transgender community in the OBC category sparked protests.

Meanwhile, the longstanding Maratha reservation issue erupted once again in Maharashtra this month. In a village in the Jalna district, 40-year-old Maratha leader Manoj Jarange, who is part of the Maratha Kranti Morcha, has been on a hunger strike since August 29, demanding reservation.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's infamous DNA remark was dubbed as one of the reasons why the BJP lost in 2015 Bihar election. On July 25, while addressing the first election rally, Modi had said, "There seems to be some problem in his DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy you respect even your political rivals." Following this, around 50 lakh DNA samples (nails and hair) of people from Bihar were collected and dispatched to PM Modi.

Recently, the issue of discrimination took the centrestage when President Droupadi Murmu was not invited to the inauguration of the new Parliament building. Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin had on Wednesday said that Murmu was not invited to the inauguration because of caste discrimination.

Besides, Udhayanidhi courted controversy over his statement on 'Sanatam Dharma'. He said Sanatana Dharma is against equality and social justice. "What is the meaning of Sanatan? It is eternal, that is, it cannot be changed; no one could pose any question and that is the meaning." Sanatan divided people on the basis of caste, he alleged.

What is Sanatan Dharma controversy?

Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin stirred a controversy after he likened the term ‘Sanatana Dharma’ to diseases like dengue and malaria. He made the statement at a ‘Sanatana Abolition Conference’, where he claimed that Sanatana dharma is against social justice and equality.

The statement drew flak from BJP leaders and triggered a massive backlash on social media, with many people calling for a case to be filed against the minister.

BJP’s Amit Malviya called Udhayanidhi’s comments a ‘genocidal call’ and wrote, “Rahul Gandhi speaks of ‘mohabbat ki dukaan’ but Congress ally DMK’s scion talks about eradicating Sanatana Dharma. Congress’s silence is support for this genocidal call.”

Sanatan Dharma is a Sanskrit term that can be translated variously as “eternal religion” or “eternal law”, “unshakeable, venerable order”, or “ancient and continuing guideline”. Mythologist and author Devdutt Pattanaik explained earlier that the word sanatan started being used in the Bhagavad Gita, and refers to knowledge of the soul, which is eternal."

(With inputs from News 18)

First Published:Sept 7, 2023 10:10 AM IST