5 min learnLucknow, New DelhiAug 28, 2026 06:47 AM IST
First revealed on: Aug 27, 2026 at 09:42 PM IST
Union Minister J P Nadda on Thursday met members of the “Reservation Hatao Andolan” right here, days after a whole lot of individuals gathered at Jantar Mantar demanding that affirmative motion be primarily based on financial standards somewhat than caste.
In a submit on X, Nadda mentioned “cordial discussions” happened with Reservation Hatao Andolan’s Harsh Dubey, Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan, and Mrityunjay Pathak. The assembly got here days after a delegation led by Dubey met Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who assured them he would take up their calls for with the BJP brass and prepare their assembly with a Union Minister. Pathak and the delegation additionally addressed a press convention at his residence.
“Following the motion that happened at Jantar Mantar on 21 August, cordial discussions had been held, as per the pre-determined schedule, with Harsh Dubey, Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan, and Mrityunjay Pathak, members of the staff. On this connection, we are going to meet once more quickly,” he mentioned.
Dubey mentioned the group met with Nadda on Wednesday too. “This was the primary assembly; discussions happened over two days, Wednesday and Thursday. There might be a press convention on September 7, the place our choice might be introduced,” he instructed The Indian Categorical. Dubey, a NEET aspirant, and businessman Abhishek Agnihotri, a relative, had been on the forefront of the protest towards reservation at Jantar Mantar on August 21.
“We introduced the demand that reservation ought to be on financial standing. The minister assured that the federal government would contemplate our calls for. We belief him and we’re hopeful that the federal government will act on our calls for. We had a dialogue with the minister at this time for 2 hours and for 3 hours on Wednesday,” mentioned Chauhan, a retired Military officer from UP’s Kannauj district.
“But when the calls for are usually not met, we are going to protest once more at Jantar Mantar and with an even bigger crowd,” Chauhan mentioned.
The activist mentioned the motion doesn’t intend to encroach upon the rights of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Different Backward Courses (OBCs). “They’re our brothers. Reservation ought to rely upon financial standing. The creamy layer ought to be abolished,” he mentioned.
BJP’s calculations
Within the BJP, the choice to have interaction with the anti-reservation activists is seen as an try to placate the higher castes, which have been upset with the get together of late, particularly over the now-stayed College Grants Fee (UGC) fairness laws aimed toward stopping caste discrimination in greater training establishments.
The higher castes, a core constituency of the get together since 1989, had been sad with the laws over their potential “misuse”, believing that their issues had been being ignored. BJP leaders mentioned it had deeply antagonised the higher castes and up to date discussions on caste census had intensified the unease in these communities.
The assembly — first with Pathak and now with Nadda — was an try to “pacify them, guarantee them that the get together would take heed to them and to provide them confidence that the get together would deal with their issues”, an insider mentioned.
“BJP’s prime leaders have previously made many assurances that there won’t be any change within the quota regime and it’s unimaginable to return on them. The voice of this group, which is getting traction amongst a major part, is getting louder in lots of components of the nation, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Bihar. The get together has to placate them,” mentioned a BJP chief from UP.
He mentioned merely holding a gathering wouldn’t fulfill them. “You should buy peace for some time with only a assembly. However you’ll have to reply their questions. The leaders wish to know data-based data on the quota coverage and its implications,” the chief mentioned.
BJP sources mentioned addressing the issues raised can be the get together’s “utmost precedence” as a result of “if a small part, even when 2-3%, sits at residence throughout the subsequent election, it’ll harm the get together’s prospects in Uttar Pradesh”. Based on the estimates of BJP leaders in UP, upper-caste communities comparable to Brahmins and Kshatriyas represent over 20% of UP’s citizens.
“They might have extra leverage than Gen Z as a result of this group can damage the BJP’s prospects in Purvanchal (jap) and western UP in a giant approach,” a celebration chief mentioned.
Based on the get together’s estimates, 52 of the 163 MLAs elected from Purvanchal within the 2022 elections are from upper-caste communities comparable to Brahmins, Bhumihars, Rajputs, Kayasthas, and Vaishyas. The BJP received 257 seats within the 403-member UP Meeting.
