Tulsipeethadhishwar Padma Vibhushan Swami Rambhadracharya Maharaj expressed his thoughts on various significant issues like reservation, freebies and love jihad during an informal talk with media, on Friday.

He highlighted the importance of promoting harmony in society and suggested that the Government should end debate on caste-based reservations and instead focus on economic-based reservations to bring about social harmony.

Jagatguru Rambhadracharya ji stated that ending caste-based reservations is vital to move forward in this direction. He emphasized that political leaders are the biggest obstacle in this effort, as they are not willing to unleash of the vote bank politics based on caste. He said there is need of courageous leaders who can work towards this goal. The day when efforts in this direction start bearing fruit, the concept of harmony will be successful, he added.

Replying to a query on “love jihad”, Jagatguru reiterated that even in his sermons, he emphasizes that Hindu girls need to be educated about the concept and not fall into the trap of Muslim boys based on false pretenses. He stressed the need to establish a Hindu-centric nationalism and create awareness among the masses about the teachings and principles of Lord Rama. On the issue of offering freebies by political parties, Swamiji condemned it and said it is not a viable solution as it is based on a vote bank mentality. He emphasized the need for a vision based on the ideals of Lord Rama.