BJP wants 'Manusmriti' for India under a fascist dictatorship: CPI General Secretary slams Himanta Biswa Sarma

The debate on reservations in Indian democracy has intensified following Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's recent statement. CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury responded to Sarma's comments, expressing his disagreement and highlighting key points related to reservations in India.

Yechury began by addressing, "He should be a little knowledgeable about Indian history. The Constitution doesn't talk of any reservation for OBCs. The OBC thing came only after the Mandal Commission, not something Babasaheb Ambedkar gave.” He emphasized that the Constitution does not explicitly mention reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), noting that OBC reservations were introduced after the Mandal Commission and were not part of Babasaheb Ambedkar's original framework.

Yechury criticized the BJP's approach to reservations, accusing them of creating their historical narrative. He said that according to the Constitution, reservations are based on backwardness, not religious grounds. He added, “They keep dropping names and creating their history...As far as the reservations issue is concerned, the Constitution is obvious - it is a reservation for backwardness. It is not reservations based on religion…”

Further, Yechury expressed concern about the BJP's understanding of the Constitution, alleging that they seek to undermine it by asking for many seats. He warned against the potential consequences of such actions, stating, “They (BJP) don't understand the Constitution that is why, they ask for 400 seats so that they can get rid of this Constitution and have their Manusmriti as their order for India's society in future under a fascistic dictatorship...The people will reject this.”

In conclusion, Yechury expressed confidence that the people of India would reject any attempts to deviate from the constitutional principles of reservations based on backwardness.