NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief, Prof Rajendra Singh, alias Rajju Bhaiya, did not make any reference to the Ram Janmabhoomi Ayodhya issue in his annual Vijayadashmi address at Nagpur last week.

The RSS, which was founded by Dr. Hegdewar on Dasehra day in 1925, has an annual rally at its Nagpur headquarters and the RSS Sarsanghchalak (chiefs) Vijayadashmi address is considered as the statement of agenda for the organization for the coming year. This was Prof Singh’s maiden Vijayadashmi speech after he took over as the Sarsanghchalak from his ailing predecessor, Mr, Balasaheb Deoras.

The emphasis of Prof. Singh’s speech was on the job reservations. He opposed the current policy of reservations, saying that it has assumed a “demonic form.”

The policy of reservations also came in for attack at a speech delivered by the BJP president, L.K. Advani, in Madras. While at Nagpur, Prof. Singh urged the government to stick to the Supreme Cour directive against crossing the limit of 50% reservation, in his Madras speech, Mr. Advani criticized the Union Welfare Minister, Mr. Sitaram Kesari, for his reported move in favor of reservations for Muslims.

Mr. Advani felt that Kesari’s policy would “sow the seeds of a second partition of the country.” The subcommittee on minorities in the constituent assembly headed by Sardar Vallabhbhai had disfavored many reservation for minorities and the makers of the Constitution had accepted this view which Jawaharlal Nehru had termed as Historic, he said. In his Nagpur speech, which was telecast live by the Jain TV satellite network, Prof. Singh said the makers of the Constitution, had postulated that it would be reasonable to have 22.5% reservation for those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and scheduled tribes as they were socially oppressed. It was expected that with educational and social advancement, there would be a progressive deadline in the quantum of reservations. An additional 27% reservation was added under the “excuse” of education and economic hack wardens, he said in a reference to the Mandal commission recommendations.

 

The RSS chief suggested that economic backwardness and not Caste should be the basis for reservations. He said that due to wrong: economic policies, a section of the | people, including those from? higher castes, who were never subjected to social discrimination, had remained educationally backward .

Article extracted from this publication >>  October 21, 1994