Convener and founder of the pressure group, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday sought clarity from the Union Government over its stance on the demand to scrap caste-based reservations after Union Minister JP Nadda held talks with the representatives of the ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan.’

Minister Nadda said on Thursday that he had held ‘cordial discussion’ with the members of the group, which had been agitating against caste-based reservation. Post-meeting, Dipke questioned the government’s position on the issue and asked what Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi thought of the movement. 

Taking to ‘X,’ Dipke wrote, “ What does the Prime Minister have to say about the August 21 movement, whose name Mr Nadda is not taking? The country wants to know.” 

AAP chips in too

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was also quick to question the government over the issue. President of AAP’s Delhi unit, Saurabh Bharadwaj, questioned the Centre over the demonstrators’ demand for a review of the reservation system. 

He wrote on ‘X,’ “The key demand of the BJP Savarna Morcha movement was a reconsideration of reservations-please shed light on that.” 

His comments came shortly after Minister Nadda held a meeting with members of the group that had mobilised protestors in Delhi.

Nadda’s take after the meeting

Minister Nadda said the discussions were held as scheduled following the August 21 protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. After the meeting, he said, “Following the movement that took place at Jantar Mantar on 21 August, cordial discussions were held, as per the pre-determined schedule, with Harsh Dubey, Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan, and Mrityunjay Pathak, members of the team. In this connection, we will meet again soon.”

However, he did not raise the curtain on the details of the discussion or reveal where the meeting took place.

Details of the August 21 agitation

Protests erupted in Delhi on August 21 after several people congregated at Jantar Matar under the banner of the ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan.’ The protestors had not been granted permission to hold the demonstration at the site.

Instead, the Delhi Police had permitted them to gather at Ramlila Maidan. Several protestors were detained at Jantar Mantar, while heightened security presence, including police and paramilitary personnel, had been deployed in the area. 

What are the demands of the protestors?

The protestors have voiced demands for the abolition of caste-based reservation and want economic criteria to take precedence over caste when determining eligibility for government support and reservation. 

They also called for the introduction of a creamy-layer criterion or stronger income-based exclusion within reserved categories. Another of their demands is targeted assistance for economically weaker sections through expanded scholarships, fee support, coaching and educational programmes. 

The movement has brought the issue of reviewing policies concerning the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) into focus, along with the inclusion of reservation policies in higher education. 

Moreover, the group also voiced concerns over the SC/ST Act and higher-education policies, including the framework governed by the University Grants Commission (UGC).