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Politics
Chirag Paswan says government will meet anti‑reservation protesters at Jantar Mantar
✍️ TOI India
🗓 23 Aug 2026, 11:39 AM
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Union Minister Chirag Paswan announced that the government is ready to engage with protesters demanding an economic basis for reservations, after they gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Delhi saw a large gathering of anti‑reservation activists at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, where they called for a shift from caste‑based quotas to an economic‑based reservation system. The protesters argued that the current framework does not adequately address the needs of the economically disadvantaged across all communities.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan, addressing the media after the rally, said the government is prepared to engage with the demonstrators, provided their demands are presented in a systematic manner. He highlighted that the central government has already introduced a 10 percent reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) under the recent amendment, and indicated that further dialogue could explore additional measures.
Paswan also criticised opposition parties for staging protests outside a police station, suggesting that such actions distract from constructive discussion. While he did not specify a timeline, the minister assured that the administration would consider the protesters' proposals within the existing legal and policy framework.
Analysts view the minister’s outreach as an attempt to balance competing political pressures ahead of upcoming electoral contests, and to pre‑empt any escalation of the protests into broader unrest.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan, addressing the media after the rally, said the government is prepared to engage with the demonstrators, provided their demands are presented in a systematic manner. He highlighted that the central government has already introduced a 10 percent reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) under the recent amendment, and indicated that further dialogue could explore additional measures.
Paswan also criticised opposition parties for staging protests outside a police station, suggesting that such actions distract from constructive discussion. While he did not specify a timeline, the minister assured that the administration would consider the protesters' proposals within the existing legal and policy framework.
Analysts view the minister’s outreach as an attempt to balance competing political pressures ahead of upcoming electoral contests, and to pre‑empt any escalation of the protests into broader unrest.