RSS Mohan Bhagwat pitches for review of reservation policy, Amit Shah thinks otherwise

BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday said his party believed in the existing reservation system and there was no need for its review even as remarks by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in this regard were opposed across the political spectrum.

"We believe in the present reservation system in the country and don't think there is any need for its review," Shah said during a programme organised by a TV channel. He said BJP was of the view that those left behind economically should receive special care.

Shah said that while RJD president Lalu Prasad and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were making a hue and cry over Bhagwat's comments, "they should state their stand on the statement of Congress spokesman Manish Tewari that the present reservation system needs to be changed".

In an interview to RSS mouthpiece, 'Organiser', Bhagwat had pitched for a review of the reservation policy, contending that it has been used for political ends. The BJP president, meanwhile, denied giving prominence to caste in distribution of tickets and said candidates were selected taking into consideration their "winnability" factor. He also denied allegations that BJP had prepared Samajwadi Party, Janadhikar Party of Pappu Yadav and AIMIM as its 'B team' in Bihar as part of the party's election ploy.

"All these parties are die-hard opponents of BJP. They themselves have said they have come into the field to defeat BJP as they think Lalu and Nitish are not in a position to do so," Shah said.

Brushing aside Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's "suit-boot ki sarkar" barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said "(Rahul) himself has stopped wearing suit-boot only recently".

On Rahul's charge that the NDA government, through its land acquisition law, wanted to grab the land of farmers, the BJP president said, "I challenge that the amount of land Congress grabbed from farmers in the past 68 years under laws formulated during the British period cannot be done even in 150 years in the future."

Shah criticised Kumar for not thanking the Centre for a special package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore and instead "spreading confusion" among the people in the name of special category status.

"None of the states enjoying special category status has got more than Rs 10,000 crore as special assistance, but Bihar received a special package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore," he said.

In reply to a question on ignoring actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha by not including him in the list of star campaigners, Shah said, "Wait for the list of star campaigners for the Bihar elections."