The Congress on Monday said the RSS-BJP was conspiring to instigate one section of society against the other by asking for a debate on reservation, and argued that the aim was to divert people’s attention away from the real issues.

Congress spokesperson P.L. Punia said at a news conference: “What is the debate the RSS wants? Why is this cultural organisation not concerned about the inequality and injustice faced by the backwards and Dalits? This is a well thought-out strategy. While on one the hand they want to instigate one section of the society against the beneficiaries of reservation policy, on the other hand they want people engaged in these debates so that the government’s failures are ignored.”

The Congress was responding to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s call on Sunday for a debate on reservation.

Speaking at the concluding session of Gyanotsav, a programme on competitive exams organised by the RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas at the Indira Gandhi National Open University here, Bhagwat had said: “There should be conversation in a harmonious atmosphere between those in favour of reservation and those against it.”

On Monday, reacting to the political responses to the suggestion, the RSS said: “There is an attempt to create an unnecessary controversy over Mohan Bhagwat’s statement. He only called for an amicable debate on the sensitive issue of reservations, based on the principle of solving problems through dialogue in society. As far as the RSS view is concerned, we have clarified on several occasions that we fully support reservation given to SCs, STs, OBCs and economically weaker sections.”

But the Congress recalled his past statements and insisted that the RSS was determined to scrap reservation.

Punia said: “The Constitution envisaged equality as well as equity. Without social justice, constitutionalism will be in peril. The previous Vajpayee government had set up a commission to review the Constitution. There was an attempt to stop reservation in educational institutions in the first term of the Modi government. They also aided dilution of the SC-ST Act.”

Congress leader Udit Raj said: “The RSS didn’t have faith in the Indian Constitution; it said there was no Indian-ness in the Indian Constitution. They challenged the intellectual integrity of Babasaheb Ambedkar. The call for debate is part of the divisive agenda; to instigate people against reservation….”

Party spokesperson Pawan Khera said: “The diversionary ploy is an old trick; they want the society divided and agitated on these issues while the real problems are ignored. The false narrative is part of their agenda; there is a design to derail the debate on genuine concerns of the people. They do demonetisation, scrap Article 370 only to confuse people, so that economy and jobs are not discussed. This a trap.”