JP Nadda meets quota-reform activists; plot against General class, says Ajeet Bharti - India Today

**JP Nadda Meets Quota‑Reform Activists Amid Growing Tensions Over Reservation Policy**

New Delhi – Home Minister and BJP national president JP Nadda held talks on Wednesday with leaders of the “Reservation Hatao Andolan” (Remove Reservation Movement), a coalition of activists demanding a rollback of India’s affirmative‑action quotas. The meeting came just days after a large‑scale protest at Jantar Mantar, where demonstrators from the “General Class” camp decried what they described as “reverse discrimination” and called for the abolition of reservations in education and public employment. According to *The Hindu* and *The New Indian Express*, the activists have begun consolidating their efforts into a formal “quota‑reforms/general‑category interest platform,” seeking legislative change rather than street demonstrations alone.

During the discussion, Nadda emphasized the government’s commitment to “social harmony” and urged the protesters to pursue their demands through constitutional channels. He reiterated the BJP’s stance that any alteration to the reservation framework must be backed by a broad parliamentary consensus, noting that the party is already reviewing the 1995 Supreme Court‑mandated 50 percent ceiling on reservations. In response, Ajeet Bharti, a senior figure in the movement, warned that a “plot” is being hatched against the General class, alleging that political opponents are using the issue to polarise society and undermine the interests of unreserved communities. Bharti’s remarks, reported by *India Today*, have intensified the rhetoric, with the activist camp accusing the ruling party of “playing a double game”—publicly supporting the status‑quo while privately negotiating with anti‑reservation groups.

The meeting has sparked varied reactions across the political spectrum. Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, have dismissed Nadda’s outreach as a tactical move to dilute the protest and “co‑opt” dissenters ahead of the upcoming state elections. Meanwhile, several legal scholars caution that any attempt to dismantle or drastically alter reservation policies could face constitutional challenges, given the entrenched nature of the provisions in the Indian Constitution. As the debate unfolds, both the government and the “Reservation Hatao” coalition have signalled that the issue will remain a focal point of public discourse, with further consultations expected in the weeks ahead.