Brahmins don’t want it, give reservation to beggars who seek it: MP minister

At a time when reservation has become a political hot potato, a Brahmin minister in the Madhya Pradesh government has stuck his neck...

At a time when reservation has become a political hot potato, a Brahmin minister in the Madhya Pradesh government has stuck his neck out by equating those who seek reservation with “beggars.”

“Hame aarakshan nahi chahiye, jin bhikhariyon ko chahiye unhe de do (We don’t want reservation, give it to those beggars who are asking for it),” Cooperation Minister Gopal Bhargava said late on Tuesday, inviting a slew of protests from the Congress party, which called for the minister’s head.

He was addressing a gathering of Brahmins at the Chief Minister’s official residence. “It was a private function and I have every right to express my thoughts,” the minister told The Indian Express on Wednesday owning up the remarks.

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He said various castes and sub-castes keep on demanding reservation and other facilities, often resorting to violence and taking law into their own hands. “Such demands will never end and they are not in the interest of the nation,” he said, adding that he may have used a wrong expression but he stood by the essence of what he said.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was also present on the dais along with three other Brahmin ministers in his cabinet. The function was organised by Sakal Yuva Brahmin Mahasangh, to felicitate the Chief Minister for his government’s decision to develop the birthplace of Lord Parshuram.

The announcement had been made at Janapav, near Indore, considered the birthplace of Parshuram. The government has allocated Rs 11 crore for the project.

Sensing an opportunity, the Congress demanded Bhargava’s ouster and said even the Chief Minister should apologise because the remarks were made in his presence and he made no attempt to stop his ministerial colleague. “Reservation for backward classes is a Constitutional arrangement. The minister has insulted everyone who qualifies for reservation benefit and also those who framed the Constitution,” Congress’s State chief Suresh Pachauri said.

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He said the use of such intemperate language betrays the BJP’s “anti-backward class” mindset. By keeping mum on the issue, even the Chief Minister has given his silent approval, Pachauri said, asking Chouhan to sack the minister.

The Leader of the Opposition, Jamuna Devi, did not stop at calling for the minister’s ouster. She “appealed” to all communities who qualify for reservation to “come forward and teach the BJP and such leaders a lesson.”