RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale has said caste-based reservation is a ‘historic necessity’ and has an important role to play in ensuring social justice and equality. He added that reservation had to go hand in hand with efforts towards reconciliation between communities.

The senior RSS leader’s remarks came at a book release function held here recently and published in the news roundup section of the 12 September, 2021 issue of the RSS English mouthpiece Organiser.

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Hosabale said the RSS had been a strong supporter of reservation for decades. He said referring to the book ‘Makers of Modern Dalit History’ by Guru Prakash Paswan and Sudarshan Ramabadran he said, “The great personalities (mentioned in the book) are not only the leaders of a particular community or a section of society but we have to declare proudly that they made history of India. They have contributed in the development, social change and transformation of the country”.

Hosbale said time and again the RSS had maintained that reservation would remain a historic necessity as long as there was inequality being experienced by a particular section of society.

“I and my organisation have been strong supporters of reservation for decades. In 1980 when anti-reservation movements were going on the university campuses, we (ABVP) passed a resolution and organised an all India seminar in Patna about reservation. Time and again we declared that reservation is the historic necessity for many more decades as long as there is inequality being experienced by a particular section and segment of society…It is not that anybody is giving them grace; it is their right to decline or deny the reservation at any point of time in future,” the top RSS leader pointed out.

Dattatreya Hosabale said India’s political, economic, social, cultural, and spiritual history would be dishonest, untrue and incomplete without mentioning about the contribution made by the Dalit community. He said social harmony and social justice were not political strategies but articles of faith for RSS. He referred to the second Sarsangh chalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Guruji Golwalkarji’s letter of 1969.

“In 1969, a resolution was passed declaring that untouchability has no place in our religion & society and it has no sanctity. Many prominent Shankaracharya and heads of different sects passed the resolution. The purpose of mentioning these things is that society discusses many things but often, who says what is more important. When it comes from the people who have occupied the religious seats from where these things have been interpreted rightly or wrongly in the past…, it will go a long way when they say certain things…,” the RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale said.

“After the resolution was passed, Guruji wrote a letter to an important functionary “the resolution on untouchability which is supported and blessed by all our Acharyas, Dharmacharyas, etc…, all that holds a pious expression merely cannot be played in actual life. Century of old prejudices do not disappear only by superior sense, wishful thinking and passing by some resolutions.

“Only hard work and right propagation has to be taken town to town, village to village, house to house and people to people; and we have to accept and practice what has been resolved. It should not be presented as a dispensation to the pressure of modern times but by abiding principle and way of life in a humble spirit of atonement of our past mistakes,” Hosbale quoted Guruji as saying.