Mumbai, Oct. 11 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi ruled out scrapping of the reservation system, ahead of the first phase of voting in Bihar.
Invoking the legacy of B.R. Ambedkar in Mumbai today, he said: "Every time a BJP government is in power, a group of liars spreads the malicious propaganda that we are out to scrap reservations... It happened during the Atal Bihari Vajapayee government's time as well."
"Falsehood must stop. Terrorising society must end. This is not politics," he said at a public meeting in the city.
The Prime Minister's assertion came a day ahead of the first phase of Bihar polls where reservation is a hotly debated topic following RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's call for a review. Chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad have both been quick to latch on to Bhagwat's remark to claim there was a sinister attempt to scrap reservations for the backward classes and weaker sections.
In his 45-minute speech at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority grounds, Modi said: "This rumour-mongering starts every time when elections are round the corner.
"Whenever polls approach, the opposition begins a debate on reservation," he added, ruling out a rethink on the reservation policy.
Meanwhile, facing a question challenging the merit of caste-based reservation against that based on the economic condition of a person during a question-and-answer session on Facebook, Bihar chief minister Nitish said: "The country is governed by the Constitution which has made provisions for affirmative action on the basis of caste. This system has been put together with great care and after great deliberation. In my view, in the present context, this system is apt. But, I am all for inclusive development and the uplift of those who are economically challenged."
In Mumbai, Modi continued: "This is something which Babasaheb Ambedkar has given us and no power can take it away. I have seen poverty. I have lived with it and there is a lot to be done for the uplift of the downtrodden in society to whose betterment Babasheb was committed," he said. Modi, who earlier laid the foundation for Ambedkar Memorial in Mumbai, said his government has embarked on a project to develop five landmarks associated with the life of the architect of the Constitution as " panch teerths" - five holy places for millions to come and pay homage.
Apart from the Indu Mill, other places to be developed as part of the project are Ambdekar's birthplace Mau in Madhya Pradesh, Alipur Road residence in Delhi, his parents' village in coastal Maharashtra and the house where he lived in London.
Terming Ambedkar a " mahapurush (a great man)", Modi said he faced many challenges in life but harboured no bitterness and never sought revenge when he had the opportunity to draw up the future of India as an "architect" of the Constitution.
Giving a personal touch to his praise of Ambedkar, Modi said: "If Ambedkar had not been there, where would this Modi be." Recalling Ambedkar's services to the nation, he announced that November 26, the day the Constitution of India came into force, would be observed as "Constitution Day". Affirming his party's commitment to the weaker sections, Modi said states with maximum population of Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs have elected BJP governments. Modi, who earlier in the day, paid glowing tributes to Jayaprakash Narayan in Delhi, said it was a happy coincidence that he could lay the foundation stone for the Ambedkar Memorial on the 113th birth anniversary of the socialist leader.
