AAP distances itself from Kumar Vishwas’ anti-reservation stand

NEWDELHI:THE Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday distanced itself from Kumar Vishwas’ ‘anti-reservation’ stand by saying the party was all for quota to Dalits and other backward classes (OBCS).

“It is unfair on part of BJP and Congress to malign our party’s image by linking us with someone’s personal opinion against reservation to Dalits and other backward classes. We as a party have always held that the community that has been suppressed and exploited for thousands of years has to progress and reservation is a step in that direction,” said AAP’S national spokesperson, Sanjay Singh.

“We are all for legal provisions of reservation and we condemn anti-reservation statements,”

The party’s founder-member and Rajasthan in charge, Kumar Vishwas, has been recently in news for speaking against reservation, arguing that it divided the society. Vishwas said he was against casteism and blamed former prime minister VP Singh, who implemented the Mandal Commission’s report on reservation, for it.

Singh countered: “The reservation implemented by VP Singh was a landmark move as the report had been gathering dust for ages”.

On August 7, 1990, then PM VP Singh announced in Parliament that his government had accepted the Mandal commission report recommending 27% reservation for OBC candidates at all levels of its services.

The party, without naming Vishwas, also hit out at BJP for criticising AAP for someone’s personal stand while the situation of Dalits in its ruled states was going from bad to worse.

“BJP should introspect the situation of Dalits and other marginal classes face in their states before hitting out at us through a malicious campaign on social media,” he said.

The rift in the stand comes close on the heels of Vishwas being at loggerheads with the top leadership.

The poet-politician even called for a ‘version 2’ of the party where the ousted members are welcomed to work towards achieving goals set five years ago.