Nitin Gadkari, A Brahmin, Explains Why He Does Not Believe in Caste: 'No Human is Greater Because...'

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, speaking at a programme in Nagpur, said that he does not believe in caste, stressing, "a human is not greater because of caste, religion or language, but only because of their

qualities.""I tell them that no human is greater because of caste, religion or language, but only because of their qualities," he said. "I often joke that the biggest favour God has done for me is that I was not given reservation."Gadkari made the comments while speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Halba Samaj Mahasangh in Nagpur."Brahmins are not important in Maharashtra, but they are very important in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Whenever I go there, I see that the Dubeys, Mishras, and Tripathis have a lot of influence and power. Just as the Marathas are important here, Brahmins are powerful there too. I tell them that I do not believe in casteism. No person is great because of caste, religion, or language, but because of their qualities," he said.

The remarks come at a time when Maharashtra is witnessing renewed agitations over reservation and quotas.Last month, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil led a huge protest at Mumbai's iconic Azad Maidan to exert pressure on the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis. Jarange, who began his hunger strike on August 29, called off the protest on September 2 after the Maharashtra government accepted most of his demands, including granting eligible Marathas Kunbi caste certificates which will make them eligible for reservation benefits available to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).