RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat again calls for debate on country's reservation system

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that there should be conversation on reservation between those who are in its favour and those who are against it. The RSS chief, who had drown a flak over his "anti-quota" remarks during the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, said that he had spoken on reservation earlier as well, but it created a lot of noise and the whole discussion diverted from the actual issue.

Bhagwat's remarks on the country's quota system in 2015 had cost BJP dearly and the party, which at one stage looked in comfortable position, lost the Bihar Assembly polls. The remarks could once again stir a row with Assembly elections due later this year in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand.

However, the chief of the BJP's ideological parent RSS asserted that the Sangh, the BJP and the NDA government-led by the saffron party are different entities and one cannot be held responsible for actions of another.

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Talking about the perception of Sangh's influence over the decision-making of the Narendra Modi government, Bhagwat said, "Since there are Sangh workers in BJP and this government, they will listen to RSS, but it is not mandatory for them to agree with us. They can disagree as well."

He said that the BJP is in power and it has to look at the bigger picture, adding that it can disagree with the point of view of the RSS. One a party comes to power, for it the government and national interest become priority, he said.

Bhagwat was speaking in the concluding session of Gyan Utsav which was on the competitive exams. Gyan Utsav was organised by the RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in Delhi.