Reservation policy can never be scrapped: Mungantiwar

Mumbai: Saying that the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's call for review of the reservation policy was "misinterpreted', BJP leader and Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar today said the reservations can never be "scrapped".

"Bhagwat's comments have been misinterpreted. He did not mean to say that the reservation policy should be completely scrapped. Because if anybody says the policy should be scrapped it means the person does not know anything,"

Mungantiwar said, speaking to reporters here. "You need a two-third majority in the Parliament to scrap this policy and at least 50 per cent of the states should give their consent.

This will not happen," Mungantiwar said. Bhagwat, in an interview to Sangh mouthpieces 'Organiser' and 'Panchjanya' last month, had contended that the reservation policy had been used for political ends and suggested setting up of an apolitical committee to examine who needs the reservations and for how long.

The statement, coming amid the campaigning for Bihar Assembly elections, kicked up a row. Mungantiwar also dismissed the allegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended foundation-stone laying ceremony of Dr B R Ambedkar's memorial in Mumbai only in view of Bihar elections.

"If people say that...they are insulting the Dalits and the people from backward castes. Can their mind be changed by simply breaking a coconut? People of Bihar, the Dalits and those from backward castes have enough thinking capability not to get swayed by baseless comments," he said.