Kashyap Sorry For Protesting Against Mandal Commission 27 Yrs Ago

Anurag Kashyap faced flak for tweet saying he protested on streets against the Mandal Commission 27 years ago.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who has been vocal about his support to the protests in the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act, received flak for his tweet saying that he had also agitated against the Mandal Commission 27 years ago.

Kashyap was responding to a tweet asking him if he has “ever joined any protest” or if he is “scared of being killed”. Kashyap wrote in Hindi, “Yes sir, I was there at August Kranti Maidan, was there at the Anna Hazare-led protest against corruption and was also there on the streets 27 years ago to agitate against the Mandal Commission.”

जी हाँ । अगस्त क्रांति मैदान में भी था , और अन्ना हज़ारे के पीछे anti- corruption विरोध में भी था, और २७ साल पहले मंडल कमिशन का भी विरोध करने सड़क पर उतरा था। https://t.co/6stpIOnrFk

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) December 22, 2019

Following his tweet, many on Twitter slammed him as "casteist” for protesting against caste-based reservation in government jobs in India.

Liberals are incoherent khichdi. They will support whatever the coolest thing is there to support at any moment. Also, thanks for telling us you are a casteist prick, @anuragkashyap72 https://t.co/RsG2LdE9JU

— Tejas Harad (@h_tejas) December 22, 2019

This dude has been passing himself off as a cool liberal for too long. He is nothing but one savarna-opportunist- prick, mooching off Bahujan labour.
Thank you, @anuragkashyap72 , for exposing yourself so simply. https://t.co/LV3jl364MQ

— Sukanya Shantha (@sukanyashantha) December 23, 2019

so Mr.Kashyap was against Mandal Commission , so nice ha @anuragkashyap72
real face of Liberal Savarna Male . https://t.co/1ByNMNB2VQ

— Somnath Waghmare (@Somwaghmare) December 23, 2019

He proudly saying protested against Mandal commission. He setting himself an example how savarna liberal behave when it's a matter of caste and reservations.

— Sridhar Jeripothula. (@Sridhar_Jeri) December 22, 2019

‘Unconditionally Apologise for the Teenager That I Was’

Facing flak, Kashyap put out a pair of tweets offering an “unconditional apology.” He wrote, “ I unconditionally apologise for the teenager that I was and I totally stand for the rights and reservations forSC/ST/OBC.”

He added, “To expand on that - then I was a lot of things I am not today, I have not been that man for the longest time, but today I know what I am fighting for and I want to focus on that.I am not always politically correct &I don’t claim I understand everything. But this fight I do know.”

My tweet in response to an accusation about me, where I talked about having participated in Mandal commission protests has offended a lot of people. I unconditionally apologise for the teenager that I was and I totally stand for the rights and reservations forSC/ST/OBC https://t.co/BPE8tqewvG

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) December 23, 2019

To expand on that - then I was a lot of things I am not today, I have not been that man for the longest time,but today I know what I am fighting for and I want to focus on that.I am not always politically correct &I don’t claim I understand everything. But this fight I do know.

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) December 23, 2019

What Were the Mandal Commission Protests About?

In the 1990s, many youth belonging to privileged castes in the country hit the streets in protest against the then-VP Singh government’s decision to implement the Mandal Commission’s recommendation. The latter aimed to reserve 27 per cent public sector jobs for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).