Quota Row: RSS Always Supported Reservation, says Mohan Bhagwat; Rahul Counters

Amid the ongoing debate between Congress and BJP over reservation, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said that some people circulated a fake video showing him saying he was against quotas. He clarified that RSS has always stood for the reservation system.

Hyderabad:Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday asserted that the organisation has always been supportive of reservation and has advocated for its implementation as long as "discrimination exists". RSS has always stood for all quotas sanctioned under the Constitution, he added.

Bhagwat's remarks came in the wake of a video being circulated claiming that the Sangh is against the quota system. The Opposition, particularly the Congress has stepped up an attack against the RSS and the ruling BJP at the Centre, accusing them of being opposed to reservation.

Speaking at the inauguration of Vidya Bharati Vignana Kendra here, Bhagwat referred to the viral video of RSS being against reservation as false and misleading. He said that the meeting where the video claims to have been shot never occurred alleging that the fake video was circulated by some people.

"RSS has been supporting reservations under the Constitution since the time it came into force. The Sangh believes that reservation should continue till the time people feel the need for or till discrimination exists. With the help of technology and Artificial Intelligence, anything that never happened can be easily shown," he said.

Noted spiritual guru Sri Tridandi Srimannarayana Chinna Jeeyar Swami also spoke on the occasion.

In his response to Bhagwat's remarks, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said although the RSS is saying it is not against reservation, the organisation had earlier spoken about opposing it.

Addressing a campaign rally at Daman and Diu on Sunday, Gandhi said Bhagwat's is now saying that RSS is not against reservation but it was he who had opposed it earlier. "Those who are against the reservation (policy) are joining their party (BJP). The party welcomes all those who are against reservation and then he (Bhagwat) says he is not against reservation," Gandhi alleged.

Slamming the RSS, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had earlier said that when the organisation was founded in 1925, it had decided to announce the nation as a "Hindu country" and scrap the reservations in 100 years, which means by 2025.

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