Union Minister J P Nadda on Thursday met members of the “Reservation Hatao Andolan” here, days after hundreds of people gathered at Jantar Mantar demanding that affirmative action be based on economic criteria rather than caste.In a post on X, Nadda said “cordial discussions” took place with Reservation Hatao Andolan’s Harsh Dubey, Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan, and Mrityunjay Pathak. The meeting came days after a delegation led by Dubey met Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who assured them he would take up their demands with the BJP brass and arrange their meeting with a Union Minister. Pathak and the delegation also addressed a press conference at his residence.Advertisement“Following the movement that took place at Jantar Mantar on 21 August, cordial discussions were held, as per the pre-determined schedule, with Harsh Dubey, Ran Bahadur Singh Chauhan, and Mrityunjay Pathak, members of the team. In this connection, we will meet again soon,” he said.Also Read | Led by NEET aspirant and businessman brother, protest against reservation at Jantar MantarDubey said the group met with Nadda on Wednesday too. “This was the first meeting; discussions took place over two days, Wednesday and Thursday. There will be a press conference on September 7, where our decision will be announced,” he told The Indian Express. Dubey, a NEET aspirant, and businessman Abhishek Agnihotri, a relative, had been at the forefront of the protest against reservation at Jantar Mantar on August 21.“We presented the demand that reservation should be on economic status. The minister assured that the government would consider our demands. We trust him and we are hopeful that the government will act on our demands. We had a discussion with the minister today for two hours and for three hours on Wednesday,” said Chauhan, a retired Army officer from UP’s Kannauj district.Advertisement“But if the demands are not met, we will protest again at Jantar Mantar and with a bigger crowd,” Chauhan said.The activist said the movement does not intend to encroach upon the rights of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). “They are our brothers. Reservation should depend on economic status. The creamy layer should be abolished,” he said.In the BJP, the decision to engage with the anti-reservation activists is seen as an attempt to placate the upper castes, which have been upset with the party of late, especially over the now-stayed University Grants Commission (UGC) equity regulations aimed at preventing caste discrimination in higher education institutions.The upper castes, a core constituency of the party since 1989, were unhappy with the regulations over their potential “misuse”, believing that their concerns were being ignored. BJP leaders said it had deeply antagonised the upper castes and recent discussions on caste census had intensified the unease in these communities.The meeting — first with Pathak and now with Nadda — was an attempt to “pacify them, assure them that the party would listen to them and to give them confidence that the party would address their concerns”, an insider said.Also Read | Anti-reservation stir: UP Deputy CM promises students meeting with Union minister“BJP’s top leaders have in the past made many assurances that there will not be any change in the quota regime and it is impossible to go back on them. The voice of this group, which is getting traction among a significant section, is getting louder in many parts of the country, especially in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Bihar. The party has to placate them. Otherwise, they may turn out to be dangerous,” said a BJP leader from UP.you may likeHe said simply holding a meeting would not satisfy them. “You can buy peace for a while with just a meeting. But you will have to answer their questions. The leaders want to know data-based information on the quota policy and its implications,” the leader said.BJP sources said addressing the concerns raised would be the party’s “utmost priority” because “if a small section, even if 2-3%, sits at home during the next election, it will damage the party’s prospects in Uttar Pradesh”. According to the estimates of BJP leaders in UP, upper-caste communities such as Brahmins and Kshatriyas constitute over 20% of UP’s electorate.“They are more dangerous than Gen Z because this group can hurt the BJP’s prospects in Purvanchal (eastern) and western UP in a big way,” a party leader said. According to the party’s estimates, 52 of the 163 MLAs elected from Purvanchal in the 2022 elections are from upper-caste communities such as Brahmins, Bhumihars, Rajputs, Kayasthas, and Vaishyas. The BJP won 257 seats in the 403-member UP Assembly.