Now Reading: BJP spokesperson defends EWS quota as quota-reform protests grow
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BJP spokesperson defends EWS quota as quota-reform protests grow
BJP national spokesperson Ajay Alok has said the 10% Economically Weaker Sections quota, introduced in 2019, addresses upper-caste concerns, drawing sharp pushback from reservation-reform activists. In a video posted on X, Alok…
BJP national spokesperson Ajay Alok has said the 10% Economically Weaker Sections quota, introduced in 2019, addresses upper-caste concerns, drawing sharp pushback from reservation-reform activists. In a video posted on X, Alok called the ongoing protests an attempt to divide Hindus. He also cited the constitutional status given to the National Commission for Backward Classes and the Rohini Commission's work on OBC sub-categorisation.
Activists accused Alok of denying upper-caste citizens the right to speak on policies affecting them. Some noted the Supreme Court stayed the UGC equity regulations only after public mobilisation. The exchange comes amid widening protests over caste-based reservation, the SC/ST Act, and the now-stayed UGC rules.
The protests have put the BJP in a delicate position, with allies like Chirag Paswan and Ramdas Athawale cautioning against any move to end or dilute reservation. Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak met protest leader Harsh Dubey and said the demands would be placed before the party's central leadership.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The BJP's core upper-caste base has long chafed at reservation policy, and the EWS quota was an attempt to offer relief without touching the existing framework. But the current mobilisation demands deeper changes, including linking quotas to economic criteria and sub-categorising OBCs, something the Rohini Commission has already studied. The party must now balance keeping its base happy without alienating Dalit and OBC allies ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, where such fault lines matter most. The Supreme Court's stay on the UGC rules gives the government breathing room, but the protest movement has shown it can draw thousands to Jantar Mantar, and the next flashpoint could come when the Court takes up the matter again.
Source: indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
