Janardan Dwivedi wants end to reservation on caste lines

New Delhi, Feb 4: At a time when quota is the buzz word in politics, senior

leader

has called for an end to

on caste lines and urged

to introduce quota for financially weaker sections bringing all communities under its ambit.

Dwivedi's pitch to end caste-based reservation, that could raise many eyebrows, comes at a time when the Congress is pursuing minority sub quota, supporting reservation in promotion for SCs/STs and appears favourably disposed towards reservation for Jats.

"This (reservation on caste lines) should have come to an end. Why it did not happen so far was because vested interests got into the process.Does the real needy person even among the Dalits and backward castes get the benefits of reservation? Those in the upper crust of these communities only avail the benefits.There is a difference between social justice and casteism.

Congress is pursuing minority sub quota

"The concept of social justice has now turned into casteism...I believe there is a need to dismantle this ....Since Rahul Gandhiji is seeking views of people directly for the party manifesto, I am now urging him that he should take a bold decision," the party general secretary said.

"Reservation on the basis of economic condition of people should be talked about. He is the future leader of Congress. Only one, who rises above all this and breaks the boundaries of caste and communalism will be the future leader of the country.Only then a society on the basis of equality can be built," Dwivedi said.

The forthright comments on such a sensitive issues by the otherwise reticent party general secretary have come at a time when the party is gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls.

Justifying his pitch for ending caste-based reservations, he said the situation has changed from the past and "now no person has the moral courage to publicly endorse casteism."

Dwivedi said that he came in politics through the youth movement in 1960s, whose main plank was to break the barriers of caste.

PTI