Those against reservation should be booked for sedition: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, addresses a condolence meeting of the Republican Party of India's (Athawale) Bihar State President, Dev Kumar Verma, at Jagjivan Ram Research Institute, in Patna on Saturday, August 22, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has demanded that sedition charges be invoked against those opposing or seeking abolition of reservation, which he called a constitutional right.

In a statement issued on Sunday (August 23, 2026), Mr. Athawale said protests against quota, including those at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, had brought the issue back into focus. He claimed that campaigns were also running on social media, calling for the removal or changes to the quota system.

“Opposition to reservation is opposition to the Constitution. Those taking an anti-reservation stand are anti-constitutional and stringent action of sedition should be taken against them,” the Republican Party of India (Athawale) chief said.

Some people were demanding the abolition of reservation, he said, asserting that reservation cannot be abolished as it is a constitutional right.

The Delhi Police on Sunday (August 23) said no permission has been granted to any individual or organisation to hold a protest or gathering at Jantar Mantar over reservation reforms and warned people against assembling there based on “misleading” social media posts.

A large number of protestors had gathered at Jantar Mantar carrying banners, posters and saffron flags and raised slogans against caste-based reservation.

The protestors were demanding that economic criteria be given precedence over caste in determining eligibility for government support and reservation.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.