A day after an anti-reservation demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on 22 August jointly asserted that reservation is a Constitutional right and that no political force can dismantle it. The remarks came amid reports that several protesters at the Jantar Mantar demonstration were detained by Delhi Police.

Athawale's Stand

Speaking to reporters in Patna, Bihar, Athawale said: 'I believe that no one has the right to abolish reservation. It is a Constitutional right.' He credited B.R. Ambedkar with embedding reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Constitution, and noted that reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBC) were introduced during the tenure of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh. The Union Minister further pointed out that the Narendra Modi government extended 10 per cent reservation to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), arguing that the system now covers multiple communities. 'Those who demand its abolition are acting against national interests. Action should be taken against them,' Athawale said.

Akhilesh Yadav Alleges a Conspiracy

Akhilesh Yadav echoed the sentiment with a sharper political edge. 'Reservation was, is and will remain,' the SP chief said. In a post on social media platform X, Yadav alleged that a conspiracy was being made to 'end reservations under the guise of reservation reform' and described it as 'another deep plot against PDA society.' The SP's PDA formulation stands for Pichhda (Backward Classes), Dalit, and Alpsankhyak (Minorities). 'Reservation is the right of PDA, not the subject of anyone's whim,' Yadav added.

Attack on NDA

Yadav also accused the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of consistently working to undermine reservation through shifting language. 'The way BJP and its allies oppose reservation from time to time by using vague words like "review" or "reform" or sometimes talk about "creamy layer" or advise to "give up reservation" — these are different masks of the continuous effort to usurp the right to reservation that has been given to the exploited and deprived people for centuries,' he alleged.

Detentions at Jantar Mantar

Several protesters who had assembled at Jantar Mantar on Friday for the anti-reservation demonstration were reportedly detained by Delhi Police. Security was also tightened in and around the protest site amid a heavy turnout, according to a police official. The demonstration had drawn significant attention a day earlier, prompting the political responses on 22 August.

What Happens Next

The episode signals that reservation politics will remain a flashpoint as the country approaches the next electoral cycle. With opposition parties closing ranks around the issue and ruling coalition leaders offering their own defences, the debate over the scope and future of affirmative action in India is unlikely to recede soon.