Union Minister Signals New Meeting after Discussions with Reservation Advocates

NEW DELHI, August 27 — Following a high‑profile protest at Delhi’s Jantar‑Mantar, Union Minister JP Nadda met on Thursday with key figures from the reservation‑reform camp. The gathering was prompted by the August 21 demonstration in which thousands demanded the replacement of caste‑based reservation with an income‑based quota for schools and government positions.

Nadda used his X account to describe the interaction as cordial, highlighting the attendance of activists Harsh Dubey, Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan and Mrityunjay Pathak. He assured the group that the government would soon arrange another round of talks to address their issues.

Although the minister refrained from naming the “Reservation Hatao Andolan” movement, the meeting is seen as a continuation of a series of engagements that began with a recent encounter in Lucknow with Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak. The deputy chief minister had earlier promised to forward the activists’ demands to the party’s top brass.

The campaign, which gained momentum through social media and now commands a follower base exceeding five million on Instagram, seeks a thorough revision of the reservation system. Its central thesis is that quotas for education and employment should be allocated solely on economic need, disability status or family hardship, removing caste as the primary determinant.