UP Govt to Take Reservation Reform Protesters’ Demands to BJP Central Leadership

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday said the demands raised by students associated with the “reservation reform” movement would be placed before the BJP’s central leadership, with a delegation of protesters expected to meet a Union minister within the next two days.

Pathak made the announcement at a press conference in Lucknow attended by representatives of the protest, which is currently being held at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. He said the government stood with the youth and was committed to helping them realise their aspirations.

“The demands of the students’ delegation have been heard carefully and they have been assured of appropriate action,” Pathak said. He added that a letter submitted by the students would be forwarded to the central leadership, while efforts would be made through dialogue and constructive initiatives to address what the protesters consider their justified demands.

The movement is being led by anti-reservation activists, including Harsh Dubey, Mrityunjay Pathak and Shiva Sharma. Dubey said the students had conducted a peaceful protest and stressed that their principal demand was to ensure equal opportunities for all young people. He welcomed Pathak’s assurance that the protesters would be given an opportunity to meet a Union minister, saying the proposed meeting within two days was an important step towards addressing their concerns. The development, however, drew sharp criticism from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who accused the BJP of attempting to undermine reservation through the language of reform.

In a Hindi post on X, Yadav alleged that the “reservation reform” campaign was part of a broader effort against the reservation rights of the PDA communities. He said references to “review”, “reform” and the “creamy layer”, along with suggestions that beneficiaries give up reservations, represented different forms of opposition to constitutionally recognised reservation provisions.

Yadav asserted that reservation was a right of historically oppressed and deprived communities and concluded his message by saying: “Reservation was there, reservation is there, reservation will remain.” The proposed meeting with the Union minister is now expected to determine the Centre’s response to the protesters’ demands.