Eradicate Caste Discrimination To End Quota System, Proposes Minister Ramdas Athawale

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale declared on Wednesday that opposing affirmative action quotas goes directly against the principles of the Constitution. Speaking to media personnel upon arriving for a day-long visit to the state, the high-ranking official asserted that marginalized communities are prepared to step away from these protective measures only when systemic social discrimination is entirely eradicated. "When casteism ends, we are ready to give up reservation," stated the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment. 

The prominent Dalit leader, who serves as the national president of the Republican Party of India (A), addressed reporters at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in the state capital regarding the ongoing, polarized national debates surrounding affirmative action. Athawale strongly countered growing public demands for the removal or restructuring of the current system, emphasizing that the framework was explicitly introduced by India's founding fathers to strengthen the country's social fabric by offering equitable opportunities to historically weaker sections. He underscored that opposing these policies is structurally flawed, reiterating that the system remains a foundational pillar of constitutional equity.

Providing an overview of the nation's legislative history on the matter, the minister outlined the timelines of different quota provisions. He noted that reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) were established when the Indian Constitution was adopted in 1950, while the 27% quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) was introduced under the V.P. Singh government in the early 1990s. Furthermore, he highlighted that the current Central administration under Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded the safety net by introducing a 10% quota for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) to assist impoverished individuals who are not covered under traditional SC, ST, or OBC categories. 

Also Read: Reservation Not Charity, Says Chirag Paswan Amid Anti-Quota Protests

Athawale maintained that because current reservation frameworks are structurally linked to historical caste identities, the protections must remain active as long as social disparities exist. He pointed out that while Article 17 of the Constitution legally abolished the practice of untouchability, ground-level atrocities against Dalits and tribal populations continue to occur across various parts of the country. The union minister stressed that until the underlying caste system is fully dismantled and complete social equality is achieved, any political attempt to revoke these provisions remains premature and harmful. 

The Union Minister also confirmed that the Central government has formally accepted the demand to conduct a nationwide caste census, using the opportunity to criticize previous Congress-led administrations for systematically ignoring the policy for decades. Concurrently, Athawale took a sharp swipe at the leader of the opposition, accusing senior Congress leaders of making misleading statements to youth regarding the government's development record. He concluded his address by inviting critics of the reservation system to avoid public agitations, urging them to instead engage in constructive democratic dialogue to put forward their concerns appropriately. 

Also Read: Norway Pays Final Tribute To King Harald V As Royalty Gather For Funeral