Reservation Row: A war of words has intensified between the two NDA allies - LJP (Ram Vilas) and Hindustani Awam Morcha over the issue of SC-ST reservation after HAM leader and a Bihar minister, Santosh Kumar Suman, shared a post on X, clarifying his party's stand.
Hours after Suman's statement, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi backed his son, saying his colleague Chirag Paswan should resign first.
"People will end up being deprived of the benefits of reservation because of this stance. However, we maintain that this division is essential in the broader public interest... Since he does not care about our poor people, he ought to resign," Manjhi said.
Ealier, Paswan targeted Manjhi and his son Suman on the issues of creamy layer and reservation, and demanded resignations from both. Now, HAM leader Suman has given a reply to Paswan in a detailed social media post.
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What Triggered The War Of Words
On Saturday, Paswan escalated the issue after seeking the resignation of his colleague Manjhi after the HAM demanded a review of the reservation policy. Now, Manjhi's son hit back at Paswan, saying he was ready to resign but not alone.
What Suman Said In His X Post
Suman, in his X post, asked who was the anti-reservationist - the one demanding rights for those standing at the very back of the line in the reserved category, or the one blocking their rights.
"As far as resignations go, we're ready. My younger brother's party is the bigger one; they have more numbers than us and are politically third-generation too - so let them take the lead. Let them step forward by resigning, and we're prepared to resign alongside them. But my little brother, first understand what I've said properly. In neither my tweet nor my statement have I mentioned the creamy layer anywhere. I haven't said to end SC/ST reservations, nor have I said to exclude anyone from reservations based on the creamy layer. Quota within quota and creamy layer—both are separate issues, poles apart," he explained.
It's not right to mix the two together and confuse the public, he said, adding that if the creamy layer issue comes up, it will have its own separate consequences, but the matter we're discussing is classification within SC/ST and quota within quota.
Suman Seeks Largers Share For These Castes
"Our question isn't about snatching away the rights of any caste or community. The question is about those people who, even today, stand at the very back of that same reserved category line. Musahar, Bhuia, Halakhhor, Nat, Dom, and numerous such communities are still extremely backward socially, educationally, and economically. The irony is that in many places, they face social discrimination and untouchability-like conditions even within their own category. If, within the same category, some people keep advancing continuously while others have been standing at the back of the line for the past 80 years too, then who will look after them? We're not talking about ending reservations for those who have already advanced," his post read.
We Want A Data Based Review: HAM
Speaking on his party's stand, he said he party wants a review based on data, for the real situation to come to light, and for a system to be created so that those who have been left behind for decades also get the opportunity to move forward.
"My younger brother, before opposing what I've said, read it fully, understand it, and then respond. Don't confuse the public. The meaning of social justice isn't that the system as it is should remain forever; the meaning of social justice is—that the one at the very back also gets a path to move forward, gets respect, and gets their rightful share," Suman told Paswan without taking his name.
Chirag Paswan Backs Status Quo
Earlier on Monday, Paswan said caste-based reservation cannot be scrapped as it is a constitutional right, even as the Opposition alleged that the ruling party was seeking to amend the Constitution to end quotas. "These people see politics in everything. After all, aren't the Sangh, the BJP, and our party all part of the NDA? Is reservation something that can be abolished just because someone says so? It is a constitutional right," Paswan told reporters, adding that the reservation is not "charity handed out to anyone" but a constitutional right that "no power on earth can ever abolish".