RSS chief's call for debate on reservation just an excuse, real target is social justice: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his remarks on reservation, saying that the ruling BJP’s ideological patriarch has “dangerous intentions” and that its real is social justice. "The confidence of the RSS is high and intentions are dangerous. At a time when the BJP government is throttling pro-people laws, the RSS has also raised the issue of debate on reservation," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

"Debate is just an excuse, the real target of the RSS-BJP is social justice," she added.

On Sunday, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had 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 drew 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.

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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.

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."