Reservation is not charity: Akhilesh Yadav accuses BJP of ‘looting rights’

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday, 20 May accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of weakening the reservation system and forcing people to seek judicial intervention to secure rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in Lucknow, Yadav released a document titled ‘PDA Audit’ on the alleged “loot of reservation”, saying the report would continue to be expanded with additional data.

“This document on PDA audit and the loot of reservation will continue to improve, and more data will be included in it,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

Yadav coined the acronym PDA in June 2023 to refer to Pichhde (backward classes), Dalits and Alpsankhyak (minorities).

Attacking the ruling BJP, he said the need for students and job aspirants to approach courts for implementation of Constitutional provisions reflected bias on the part of the government. “If we have to approach courts for Constitutional rights, it means the government is biased. And one who is biased is also unfaithful. Bias itself is injustice because it snatches away rights,” he alleged.

Calling reservation a pillar of social justice and equality, Yadav said it served as both a safeguard and a means of ensuring social harmony. “Reservation is protection. It is also a tool and a medium for social coordination,” he said.

Referring to the BJP government’s bulldozer policy, Yadav remarked that if bulldozers had to be used, they should be deployed to “level the uneven ground of inequality” and ensure people receive their rightful reservation benefits.

He also alleged that mechanisms such as lateral entry appointments were being used to dilute the reservation framework. “Through lateral entry, people of their choice are being adjusted through the back door so that reservation demands weaken gradually,” he claimed.

The SP chief further accused the BJP of indulging in “foul play” over constitutional reservation and said the ruling party was unwilling to ensure equal opportunities for deprived sections of society. “Reservation is not charity, it is a right,” he said, arguing that quotas were essential for social and political representation as well as the protection of democracy.

The ‘PDA Audit Part-1’ booklet released by Yadav alleged that more than 11,500 reserved posts meant for backward classes, Dalits and tribals were affected across 22 recruitment examinations conducted during the BJP government’s tenure in Uttar Pradesh.

The report cited the 69,000 teachers’ recruitment exercise, claiming the Uttar Pradesh Backward Classes Commission had acknowledged irregularities in the implementation of reservation norms and that the Allahabad High Court had directed relief for affected candidates.

According to the booklet, the state government had admitted ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections that reservation rules were not properly followed in the teachers’ recruitment process, but no corrective steps had been taken.

The audit also cited 2022 recruitment at Banda Agricultural University, alleging that although seven of 15 advertised posts were reserved for OBC, SC and ST candidates, only two candidates from those categories were selected, resulting in a “loss” of five reserved posts.

Questions were also raised over the 2023 enforcement constable recruitment process. The booklet claimed that while 239 posts should have gone to OBC, SC and ST candidates under reservation rules, only 205 candidates from these categories were selected, leaving 34 reserved posts allegedly unfilled.

With PTI inputs