Union Minister Chirag Paswan defended the reservation system as a constitutional right on August 22, 2026, following protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar by the 'Reservation Hatao Andolan'.
The protest movement, which claims over 5.6 million Instagram followers, demands a white paper on the impact of the 80-year-old reservation system and greater weight for economic status.
Paswan stated that the government will engage in dialogue with the protesters once their demands are presented systematically, emphasizing that reservation cannot be ended simply by demand.