Top Hindutva theorist declares against caste-based reservation, opines it leads to votebank politics

By A Representative

Hindutva offensive against India’s reservation policy continues unabated, despite BJP and RSS making frantic attempts to deny they are against caste-based reservation. A well-known US-based Hindutva theorist and businessman, Rajiv Malhotra, hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “glorifying our priceless heritage”, has now declared that there should not be any caste-based reservation in India.
In a video he has posted on Facebook, Malhotra is heard telling an interviewer that reservation should be given “on individual, merit basis, on individual economic basis”, adding, he “does not like” the idea that people in groups, caste, religion, or whatever, are “clubbed” and are considered “victims”, and are given “special quota.”
Last year, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat came in for criticism for his suggestion for to “review” the reservation policy. Coming ahead of Bihar elections, Bhagwat had to retract his statement, saying, reservation is needed as long as social discrimination exists, with BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, too, strongly coming out in defence of reservation.
Suggesting that caste based reservation “would encourage conflicts” with “irresponsible politicians” utilizing it for “votebank", Malhotra who has been one of the most prominent propagators seeking to provide intellectual basis to Hindutva, says, “There is absolutely no reason that a Dalit millionaire is given privileges”.
Introducing his video on his twitter account @RajivMessage, Malhotra says, it talks of “caste reservations as a vote bank/lobby group.” On a query by Counterview, whether it means the “top Modi follower is anti-reservation” and is “following RSS chief”, he immediately clarified, “Please do not misquote me. I am FOR reservations based on INDIVIDUAL factors, not collective identities/politics.”
When queried whether he thought untouchability should be the basis of reservation, Malhotra evaded reply, with some of his supporters seeking the "definition" of untouchability in the “current context of India”, wondering if it could be “evaluated objectively” (@vakibs).
Malhotra’s supporters on Facebook said that for the first time a “renowned writer and speaker" spoke about reservation."Reservation should be covered individually on the ground of economic social status rather than club approach. It’s really appreciable debate”, it was suggested.
However, an opponent of Hindutva, in his critical remark to Malhotra’s on Twitter, said, “So the cat is out of the Hindutva bag? Reservations should promote market economics and not community?” (@BHPanimalwatch).
On Facebook, one Sarath Prasannakumar was more explicit: “Whatever you say we don’t accept this. Because the economic and social disparity in this nation is based on caste. It’s an after effect of centuries old caste system. So to bring the Dalits and tribals as equals reservation will continue to stay till the Dalits and tribals reach equality, socially and economically. Once they reach it take this reservations away and then put it for open competition.”
Malhotra received much media attention spring this year after he declared the need to “protect” Indian culture from western “takeover” through an online petition. He wanted the ouster top Sanskritist Sheldon Pollock as chief editor of the Murty Classical Library of India, a private project floated by IT giant and Infosys founder NR Narayana Murty and his son Rohan Murty in order to "create" an intellectual heritage of ancient India.
Earlier, Malhotra was involved in a controversy when his book “Indra’s Net” was charged with plagiarism by Indologist Andrew J Nicholson, author of “Unifying Hinduism”. Nicholson went so far as to blame Malhotra that he "does not know Sanskrit, so he has to rely on others who do in order to amass the raw materials he needs for his books” Malhotra denied plagiarism charges.