Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday demanded sedition charges against those opposing or seeking the abolition of reservation, calling such a stand “anti-constitutional” and asserting that reservation is a constitutional right. His remarks came amid protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and social media campaigns calling for changes to the reservation system.
Athawale, who heads the Republican Party of India (Athawale), said opposition to reservation amounted to opposition to the Constitution. He said those taking an anti-reservation stand were acting against the Constitution and should face stringent action under sedition provisions.
His remarks came as the Delhi Police said on Sunday that no permission had been given to any person or organisation to hold a protest or gathering at Jantar Mantar over reservation reforms. The police also warned people against assembling there on the basis of what it called misleading posts on social media.
A large number of protesters had gathered at Jantar Mantar with banners, posters and saffron flags, and raised slogans against caste-based reservation. They demanded that economic criteria should take precedence over caste in deciding eligibility for government support and reservation.
Athawale said reservation could not be abolished and argued that such demands had no basis as, in his words, all needy groups were benefiting from it. Referring to the extension of reservation from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to the Economically Weaker Sections, he said the system should remain in place as long as caste-based discrimination continued.
He said that although untouchability had been banned under Article 17 of the Constitution, caste discrimination and atrocities against SC communities were still continuing in rural India.
He said those seeking the abolition of reservation should first bring an end to the caste system, adding that there would be no insistence on reservation once caste was eliminated. Athawale also said the Narendra Modi-led central government was working to protect reservation and ensure justice for all. He added that the Republican Party of India (A) had been an ally of the NDA since 2014 and said his party’s effort was to ensure that all needy communities received reservation, which he said they were currently receiving.
Athawale also raised the issue of the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee, saying it should have eight Buddhist trustees instead of the present arrangement of four Hindus and four Buddhists, with the Gaya district magistrate as ex-officio chairman. He said the committee functioned under the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949, which predated the Constitution of India.
He said the demand was not against Hindus or any other religious community, but that a Buddhist place of worship should be managed by Buddhists. He said he had sought time from Samrat Choudhary to discuss the matter and would also meet the governor on the issue.
Several Buddhist monks present at the press conference said they would begin a five-day hunger strike in Patna’s Gardanibagh area to press for the demand. Replying to a question on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the government, Athawale said Modi would return to power for a fourth term after the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. He said Gandhi, as Leader of Opposition, had a duty to question the government, but should also acknowledge its good work.
Athawale also referred to Abhijeet Dipke, describing him as a fellow Maharashtrian and an Ambedkarite, and urged him to change the name of Cockroach Janata Party.
He said the youth of India, who actively fight for their rights, were not cockroaches. Through the day, Athawale combined his defence of reservation with his demand on the Bodh Gaya committee and his responses on national politics.
– Ends
Published By:
Sayan Ganguly
Published On:
Aug 25, 2026 00:06 IST
