Reservation needs to continue, says Rajnath Singh

Lucknow: Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday that the country needed reservation to continue.

“Reservation was brought in because we needed to empower the weaker sections of society and ensure their upliftment . When reservation was implemented, it was needed and even today, there are pockets in the rural interiors where people need to be brought into the social mainstream. For such people, the reservation provides a strong support system,” he said.

Mr Rajnath Singh was speaking at a Youth Parliament organized by a management school. Replying to questions posed by students, the union home minister said that  Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and would remain so. “We want to maintain good relations with our neighbours but without compromising on our dignity and integrity,” he said.

Mr Singh explained that border security would now be managed through the Comp-rehensive Integrated Border Management System in which radars and sensors would be used to detect any movement.

He said that a pilot project of this system had already been started and will also be used in Assam. Asked to comment on Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s recent pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarover and his efforts for a grand alliance, Mr Singh said, “We are not personally opposed to anyone including Mr Gandhi. I believe that politics should not be done on religion or caste. What Mr Rahul Gandhi is doing is something that everyone knows,” he stated.

Mr Singh added that the government was working on a policy that would eradicate the difference in standards of education between private and government schools. He said that the day was not far when India would be an intellectual leaders in the world.