Days after a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over demands for reforms in the reservation system and the replacement of caste-based quotas with income-based reservations, Union Minister JP Nadda on Thursday met leaders of one of the factions of the organisers.
In a post on X, Nadda said, "Following the movement that took place at Jantar Mantar on 21 August, cordial discussions were held, as per the pre-determined schedule, with Shri Harsh Dubey, Shri Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan, and Shri Mrityunjay Pathak, members of the team. In this connection, we will meet again soon."
Nadda, however, did not detail what was discussed in the meeting or whether the demands of Reservation Reform Andolan, formerly Reservation Hatao Aandolan, were referred to.
Notably, a large number of protesters protested against the reservation in its current form, seeking reforms in it.
Harsh Dubey faction expelled by movement
The movement later divided into two factions after Harsh Dubey met Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brijesh Pathak on August 22. The other prominent faces of the protest announced the expulsion of Harsh Dubey from the movement. The announcement was made through the official Instagram channel.
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During the press conference after the August 22 meeting, the UP deputy CM accepted a memorandum of demands and assured the group led by Dubey that their points would be conveyed to the central leadership.
Rivel group vows to continue fight
The meeting with Nadda marks the next step in discussions. Meanwhile, the other group has criticised the meeting between Nadda and Dubey.
Anuradha Tiwari, one of the faces of the movement from the rival group of Ajeet Bharti and others, reacted to Nadda's post, rejecting Dubey's relevance in the context of the protest.
She said, "If you think that by catching a child and making them say your words, you will stop this movement, then that is not going to happen. There was no single face like Harsh Dubey in this; rather, lakhs of people were involved, and this is their fight. That is why, until the demands of RHA Reforms are fulfilled, this movement will continue."