New Delhi: A political row is raging over reservation and the Constitution, with the saint community now also weighing in. Making a big statement, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said that it has been 78 years since reservation was implemented but the class for which it was implemented to bring it into the mainstream is still backward. “Reservation was implemented for 10 years and it has been continuing for 78 years, he pointed out. The Swami further said that reservation was not given so that you become crippled for life and stand on the crutches of reservation. Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati added that the Ambedkar issue has basically been politicised.
What did Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati say
The Swami underlined that measures are needed to uplift those who are still backward; they have to be given facilities, education, and mindset towards them have to be changed, therefore, reservation was given in the first place. But if we make reservation our lifeline, then it is wrong, he said. The Swami questioned: “Did Baba Saheb Ambedkar want that the backward continue to walk on crutches of reservation and become self-dependant and they never become efficient enough to walk on their own? He surely didn’t want that. He wanted that till they come into the mainstream and get equal, they will get quota and then together they can develop the nation.”
“There is a need to understand the main motive behind reservation. The reservation, as it is being given, is turning out to be unsuccessful. Baba Saheb Ambedkar envisioned reservation as he thought it will fulfill its purpose in 10 years. So, he brought it for 10 years. But 78 years have gone by, and the purpose of reservation has not been met, which means the policy has some flaw.”
He added: “A rethinking is needed. However, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have policies that help the backward class to come up. They have a right to come into the mainstream and given a helping hand.”
The Swami said there was no sense of the percentage of quota that needs to be given. “The formula of percentage in reservation is completely meaningless. The only focus should be how to empower those economically and socially who have been left behind, so that they can contribute in nation-building and development.”
