Archive · 23 Aug 2026
Mayawati Criticises Jantar Mantar Protest Against Caste-Based Reservation
Mayawati is the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party.
She criticised a protest in Delhi against reservation based on caste.
The protesters wanted reservation to depend more on a person’s economic condition.
Mayawati said reservations for SC, ST and OBC communities are constitutional protections.
She said these communities have faced discrimination and hardship for a very long time.
She argued that corruption and poor government work stop many people from receiving the benefits they should get.
She also criticised Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders for not speaking with the protesters.
She asked political parties to treat reservation as a serious and sensitive issue.
Mayawati said the Jantar Mantar demand for economic-based reservation was not in the national interest.
The protest called for changes to, or an end to, caste-based reservation for SC, ST and OBC communities.
She argued that corruption and poor implementation, rather than reservation itself, are keeping benefits from disadvantaged communities.
Mayawati questioned why Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders did not engage with the protesters while Gandhi was protesting nearby.
She urged governments not to protect anti-reservation elements and appealed against using the issue for “cheap politics.”
- Who
- BSP chief Mayawati criticised protesters, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.
- What
- Mayawati defended constitutional reservation for SC, ST and OBC communities and opposed demands to make reservation primarily economic-based.
- When
- Mayawati made the remarks in an X post on Sunday, August 23, 2026; the protest was held on Friday, August 21.
- Where
- The protest took place at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, while Rahul Gandhi held a demonstration outside the Parliament Street Police Station.
- Why
- Mayawati said caste-based safeguards remain necessary because SC, ST and OBC communities continue to face discrimination, poverty, exploitation and atrocities.
Mayawati’s Position
Protesters’ Position
Basis of Reservation
Mayawati’s Position
Mayawati said constitutional reservation for SC, ST and OBC communities should be protected because these groups have faced centuries of caste-based discrimination.
Protesters’ Position
The protesters demanded that reservation be provided on economic grounds rather than primarily on the basis of caste.
Cause of Continuing Poverty
Mayawati’s Position
Mayawati blamed corruption, casteist government systems and poor implementation for preventing disadvantaged communities from receiving the full benefits of reservation and welfare programmes.
Protesters’ Position
The protesters’ reported demand focused on changing the reservation system, but the articles do not provide their detailed explanation of how implementation should work.
Congress’s Response
Mayawati’s Position
Mayawati said Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders showed an anti-reservation mindset by not visiting or reasoning with the Jantar Mantar protesters while Gandhi demonstrated nearby.
Protesters’ Position
The articles report no response from Rahul Gandhi or Congress to Mayawati’s accusation.
- Speaker
- Mayawati, chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party
- Protest date
- Friday, August 21, 2026
- Protest location
- Jantar Mantar, Delhi
- Protest demand
- Reservation based on economic grounds and changes to the existing caste-based system
- Communities discussed
- Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes
- Mayawati’s main argument
- Poor implementation, corruption and governmental failures—not reservation itself—are preventing many people from receiving benefits.
- Security arrangements
- Delhi Police and central forces were deployed as a precaution during the gathering.
