Lucknow: The agitation demanding sweeping structural reforms to India’s caste-based reservation system gained fresh political momentum on Saturday after Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak held talks with student representatives in Lucknow, assuring them that their demands would be placed before the central leadership.
Addressing a joint press conference alongside student leaders, the Deputy Chief Minister confirmed that a formal memorandum submitted by the students had been forwarded to the Union government. He further indicated that a meeting with a Union minister is slated to take place within two days to discuss the core issues raised by the demonstrators.
The outreach followed a high-profile demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Friday, where hundreds of general category students and youth groups—including the Karni Sena, Rajasthan’s General Sena, and Chanakya Sena—rallied under the banner of the ‘Reservation Reform Movement’ led by NEET aspirant Harsh Dubey.
Protesters raised slogans demanding that government assistance, educational scholarships, coaching support, and fee concessions be granted strictly on an economic basis rather than caste lines. The demonstrators also demanded the implementation of a creamy-layer provision across reserved categories, a comprehensive review of the decades-old policy, a rollback of the UGC Equity Regulations, and amendments to prevent the misuse of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
“Students had assembled peacefully at Jantar Mantar to present legitimate concerns regarding disparities in the current education and reservation structure,” Harsh Dubey said following the Lucknow meeting, emphasizing that no student should face discrimination in educational opportunities.
However, visible rifts have emerged within the movement. Prominent social media commentator Ajeet Bharti, who heads the ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’ and attended Friday’s demonstration, distanced himself from the Lucknow press meet. Bharti accused Dubey of leveraging the student platform for political ambition, alleging attempts to secure an assembly election ticket for Dubey’s father.
On Friday, Delhi Police detained several demonstrators after the gathering at Jantar Mantar exceeded permitted limits. Authorities clarified that while a No Objection Certificate (NOC) had been issued for a gathering of up to 500 people at Ramlila Maidan, no permission had been granted for a demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
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