NOITAVRESER NO!
This is a mail I wrote to "The Hindu" when the reservation row was at its worst. Quite obviously, they didnt like it. It never saw the light of day- until now.
I have always thought of “The Hindu” as a non-partisan newspaper. That is, until I read your numerous one-sided editorials on the Reservation imbroglio.
Your editorials say that the anti-reservation protests are now totally uncalled for, given the fact that the Government has “promised” to increase the General Category seats and will therefore not affect the protestors adversely. This is a puerile argument, to say the least. The question is not just whether the General Category is going to be affected adversely or not. The issue before us is the basis of the Government’s Reservation policy. Where are the hard facts that support the cause of reservation? Where are the statistics that show to the world how reservation has helped India in the past decades? And how did the magic figure of 49.5 crop up? Does this 49.5 have any other statistical significance with respect to the disadvantaged classes – other than being the closest possible figure to the constitutional ceiling on reservations?
Adopting a “placebo” policy, the Government has simply shrugged off its real responsibilities towards the disadvantaged. What has the Government done at the grassroot level to improve the lot of the disadvantaged and to ensure that they are on a level playing field? In a world of cutthroat competition, will lowering the bar help anyone in the long run? Instead, why doesn’t the Government take steps to raise the disadvantaged sections to meet the existing yardsticks? What is the government doing to increase the quality of education at school level? What plans does it have in place to ensure that every single child in India, whether “forward” or “backward” is in school? Is there anything in this reservation brouhaha that could redeem my faith in the politicians of today?
Is the concept of ‘caste” as a rigid and standalone social and economic delineator still completely valid? Or is it just a foolishly simplistic view of things in an increasingly complex socio-economic situation? Can we generalize to say that all “Forward” caste people in the country are “forward” and all “Backward” caste people are “backward”? And what exactly is our aim through reservation? Are we aiming for a reverse reinforcement of the caste system? Are we aiming to create a vicious endless cycle where the ‘forward’ become the “backward” and vice versa? And are we going to eternally straitjacket the entire political system in India into watertight compartments of “General” and “Reserved”? Is there a proper plan in place to gradually phase out reservations? Should a person who has benefited from reservations at the school and graduate level be further allowed the luxury of a reservation at postgraduate level simply because by a happy coincidence she happened to be born into an upper middle class “backward” family?
“If the US can adopt an Affirmative Action policy, then why can’t India have reservations??”- the favourite refrain of everyone in favour of Reservations.
What an utterly laughable argument.
Reservation is not synonymous with Affirmative action. Reservation is shortsighted and negative in its approach because its basic principle is that of exclusion. Affirmative action, on the other hand is a positive inclusive approach towards ensuring a classless society, at least in the public domain.
Is the kind of lopsided development that reservation will bring in desirable- especially when an alternative approach might well bring in a holistic development that will benefit ALL sections of the society? While our politicians are engaged in meticulous, gleeful hairsplitting over exactly what proportion of their vote bank consists of OBCs, the glorious visions of a classless India powering the global economy of the future die a slow and painful death. Will the caste divide ever be bridged in the true sense of the word, as long as such anachronistic and divisive public policies continue? Implementation of the Reservation policy will spark communal hatred that will dismember the country part by part and accentuate the caste divide like never before. Much more than the venom-spewing saffron netas and hatred-indoctrinating mullahs of the world could ever do.
One last question- this directed to “The Hindu”.
If a fight for equality and the removal of caste identities from the public domain is not a legitimate and “morally defensible” (Get Back to Work, The Hindu,30th May 2006) cause, then what is?
I have always thought of “The Hindu” as a non-partisan newspaper. That is, until I read your numerous one-sided editorials on the Reservation imbroglio.
Your editorials say that the anti-reservation protests are now totally uncalled for, given the fact that the Government has “promised” to increase the General Category seats and will therefore not affect the protestors adversely. This is a puerile argument, to say the least. The question is not just whether the General Category is going to be affected adversely or not. The issue before us is the basis of the Government’s Reservation policy. Where are the hard facts that support the cause of reservation? Where are the statistics that show to the world how reservation has helped India in the past decades? And how did the magic figure of 49.5 crop up? Does this 49.5 have any other statistical significance with respect to the disadvantaged classes – other than being the closest possible figure to the constitutional ceiling on reservations?
Adopting a “placebo” policy, the Government has simply shrugged off its real responsibilities towards the disadvantaged. What has the Government done at the grassroot level to improve the lot of the disadvantaged and to ensure that they are on a level playing field? In a world of cutthroat competition, will lowering the bar help anyone in the long run? Instead, why doesn’t the Government take steps to raise the disadvantaged sections to meet the existing yardsticks? What is the government doing to increase the quality of education at school level? What plans does it have in place to ensure that every single child in India, whether “forward” or “backward” is in school? Is there anything in this reservation brouhaha that could redeem my faith in the politicians of today?
Is the concept of ‘caste” as a rigid and standalone social and economic delineator still completely valid? Or is it just a foolishly simplistic view of things in an increasingly complex socio-economic situation? Can we generalize to say that all “Forward” caste people in the country are “forward” and all “Backward” caste people are “backward”? And what exactly is our aim through reservation? Are we aiming for a reverse reinforcement of the caste system? Are we aiming to create a vicious endless cycle where the ‘forward’ become the “backward” and vice versa? And are we going to eternally straitjacket the entire political system in India into watertight compartments of “General” and “Reserved”? Is there a proper plan in place to gradually phase out reservations? Should a person who has benefited from reservations at the school and graduate level be further allowed the luxury of a reservation at postgraduate level simply because by a happy coincidence she happened to be born into an upper middle class “backward” family?
“If the US can adopt an Affirmative Action policy, then why can’t India have reservations??”- the favourite refrain of everyone in favour of Reservations.
What an utterly laughable argument.
Reservation is not synonymous with Affirmative action. Reservation is shortsighted and negative in its approach because its basic principle is that of exclusion. Affirmative action, on the other hand is a positive inclusive approach towards ensuring a classless society, at least in the public domain.
Is the kind of lopsided development that reservation will bring in desirable- especially when an alternative approach might well bring in a holistic development that will benefit ALL sections of the society? While our politicians are engaged in meticulous, gleeful hairsplitting over exactly what proportion of their vote bank consists of OBCs, the glorious visions of a classless India powering the global economy of the future die a slow and painful death. Will the caste divide ever be bridged in the true sense of the word, as long as such anachronistic and divisive public policies continue? Implementation of the Reservation policy will spark communal hatred that will dismember the country part by part and accentuate the caste divide like never before. Much more than the venom-spewing saffron netas and hatred-indoctrinating mullahs of the world could ever do.
One last question- this directed to “The Hindu”.
If a fight for equality and the removal of caste identities from the public domain is not a legitimate and “morally defensible” (Get Back to Work, The Hindu,30th May 2006) cause, then what is?
posted by Niranjana at Tuesday, October 17, 2006
3 Comments:
With reference to your invective regarding the govt and it's policy towards reservation,what are ur thoughts on absolute privatization of education with preference only to merit and ability,something slightly akin to capitalist anarchism?
Wow.... tuhin's comment was a mouthful! :-)
Simple stmt from my side :- We need reservation, but not in the method & standards the govmt is going thru. E.g. If u and ur house's servant both write cat,will she ever be able to score more than you? (provided u give her infinite money, tution classes, etc etc)
Ummm.. make that XAT, not cat ;o)
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