File Photo: JD(U) chief and Rajya Sabha member Sharad Yadav (Press Trust of India)
Taking a view divergent to that of his party colleague and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav today disapproved of the agitation by the Patel and Patidar community in Gujarat for reservation under the Other Backward Castes (OBC) category saying that the Patels have been quite well off.
"The agitation by the Patel and Patidar caste men is unjustified and wrong as this community has been quite well off," he told reporters.
"They (Patels and Patidars) should not agitate for reservation at all," Mr Yadav said.
The JD(U) president's remarks on the ongoing stir by the Patels assumes significance after the Chief Minister had yesterday backed the protesters' demand for inclusion in OBC category saying that their demand could be delayed, but not wished away by the government.
"I extend my good wishes to the people of Patel and Patidar castes agitating for the justified demand of inclusion in OBC category," Mr Kumar had said.
He had further said that the Patels' demand was justified as in other parts of the country similar kind of castes were getting reservation, but this benefit was denied to them in Gujarat.
The 21-year-old leader Hardik Patel, spearheading the agitation for OBC reservation to the Patels and Patidars in Gujarat, had during his speech at a mega rally in Ahmedabad yesterday taken Nitish Kumar's name as well as that of Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as members of the community.
On the NDA government mulling over convening a special session of Parliament for passage of the GST and other bills next month, Mr Yadav described the exercise as "unwarranted and against democratic spirit".
The government should not convene a special session of Parliament for whatsoever reasons, the JD(U) national president said, adding that the situation in both Houses of Parliament remained unchanged in reference to stand-off between the ruling coalition at the Centre and Opposition.
On the cancellation of NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan last week, he described it as unfortunate.
Mr Yadav also rued spiralling price rise and said that the common man felt distressed due to the government's failure to rein in prices of essential goods.
The JD(U) national president trashed the special package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently for poll-bound Bihar saying that it was "a mere announcement" as no budgetary provisions for funds have been made by either the government or Parliament.
The country's annual budget stands at Rs 18 lakh crore and so the special package to Bihar will amount to taking away due rights of some other states, Yadav said and asked the Prime Minister to announce any package only after due diligence by taking into account funds available at the disposal of the government of the day.