After the rise of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), another issue-based campaign is rapidly gathering pace on social media. A handle named ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’ (RHA), an anti-reservation group, has surpassed 5.5 million followers on Instagram.
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The group’s Instagram account, reservationhataomovement, has over 100 posts, follows only the Indian Army’s official account and describes itself as a citizen-backed movement.
Its profile carries BR Ambedkar’s rallying cry, “Educate-Agitate-Organize”, along with the Hindi message, “सारी जाति एक समान, मेरा बस ये देश महान” (All castes are equal; my only wish is that this nation remains great).
In one of the Instagram posts, the group said it is not associated with any political party. However, the identity of the founder behind the Reservation Hatao Andolan is unknown.
One of the campaign’s posts argues that reservation undermines merit, increases caste divisions and affects the quality of education by reducing competition, while calling for equal opportunities based on merit instead of caste.
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The Reservation Hatao Andolan has also laid out what it calls a roadmap for reform, arguing that if the goal is to eradicate caste-based discrimination, the government should stop requiring or recognising caste identity in day-to-day public life.
The campaign comes soon after the rise of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical social media outfit founded by Abhijeet Dipke. What began as an online campaign grew into a nationwide youth-led protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over alleged examination irregularities, eventually culminating in Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
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Another similar satirical social media page, the ‘E20 Janta Party’, has also begun attracting attention online, although the identity of its founder remains unknown. The page appears to target the Centre’s push for E20 fuel, a blend of 20 per cent ethanol and 80 per cent petrol, an initiative strongly championed by Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari.
Also Read: Dharmendra Pradhan out, ‘E20 Janta Party’ now makes waves on the internet
E20 fuel has been promoted by the Centre as a way to reduce India’s dependence on imported crude oil, cut vehicular emissions and provide better returns to farmers by increasing the use of ethanol produced from crops such as sugarcane and maize.
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However, the policy has also drawn criticism from some sections over concerns that older vehicles may not be fully compatible with the fuel blend, that it could reduce fuel efficiency, and that higher ethanol production may increase water consumption for crop cultivation.
