Union Minister JP Nadda Meets Reservation Hatao Andolan Representatives

Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda met with representatives of the Reservation Hatao Andolan in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss demands regarding affirmative action. The meeting followed an August 21 protest at Jantar Mantar, where demonstrators called for government reservations and support to be based on economic criteria and a stronger creamy-layer criterion rather than caste.

The August 21 gathering was organized via an Instagram page without official permission, resulting in the Delhi Police deploying heavy security and detaining several protesters. During the subsequent discussions, Nadda met with team members Harsh Dubey, Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan, and Mrityunjay Pathak. Nadda characterized the talks as "cordial" and indicated that the parties will meet again soon to continue the dialogue, though he did not disclose the specific venue or details of the talks.

The engagement has drawn criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke. Critics are seeking clarity on the central government's position and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the movement's demands to scrap or substantially review caste-based reservations.