Turning backwardness into privilege

Source: By G Ramachandram: The Free Press Journal

The Article 15 (1) of our constitution says The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on

grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth . However, nothing shall prevent the

State from making any special provision, by law for the advancement of any socially and

educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes The

States affirmation action to uplift the poor and backward is known as the policy of protective

discrimination. The purpose of reservation is to give opportunity to the socially and educationally

backward people to raise their social status and empower them. Now, after seven decades of

reservation, it is high time we questioned the rationale behind the reservation.

The agitation by Patels for reservation in Gujarat is an indication of the reservation policy going

astray. Ironically, they were the first community in India to launch the anti-reservation movement

against the Dalits and OBCs in 1980s, even before the Mandal Commission recommendations were

implemented by VP Singh government in 1990. As per the RBI statistics, a fifth of 7, 60,000 micro,

small and medium enterprises have gone sick. And the Patels say the caste-based reservations have

deprived them of jobs and benefits. They want the government to scrap the quota system for SCs,

STs and OBCs altogether or ensure the benefits of affirmative action also accrue to them.

The problem in Gujarat is different. The Gujarat government is denying the teaching of English till std

V in government schools. The fallout of this shortsighted policy is that the students are denied the

opportunity to acquire proficiency in English. Consequently, the great software and service sector

boom, seen across the major cities in India, is missing in Gujarat. Though Gujarat has three major

cities among top 10 cities, in terms of population, there is no significant presence of Software giants

like Infosys, Wipro, Accenture and Tata Consultancy Services in Ahmedabad and Surat the

epicenters of the quota stir-compared to Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and elsewhere, who basic ally

consider spoken English as a required skill.

The youth wants to claim something that they perceive others- low caste people- are entitled

to. They feel that the quota system has deprived them admissions and jobs based on merit in

professional courses and government jobs. And the dwindling job opportunities in private and

corporate sector is turning them to seek government jobs, more lucrative and stable, which are

denied because of the quota system. The reservations do not ensure equality of opportunity. But the

politicians, for electoral gains, promise to extend the quota system of OBCs to more communities,

like Jats, Gujjars, and Marathas, who otherwise are forward communities. The flaw in the

reservation policy is that it perpetuates the social inequality, while giving undue advantage to the

already benefited among the so- called backward classes. If reservation has elevated the first

generation people socially and educationally, then why should successive generations need the

same benefits? Why should the children of Paswans, Lalu Yadavs, Mulayam Singhs and the like, who

are so well off, continue to get the benefits of reservation?

The caste based reservation has only resulted in abuse of the quota system. It is not actually

benefitting the people who need it. For instance, in Maharashtra, most of the benefits to dalits are

grabbed particularly by dalit community Mahars the clan to which Babasaheb Ambedkar belonged

to at the expense of other dalit communities. The Mahars consider themselves Brahmins among

the fellow dalits and do not enter into any social relations with non-Mahars.

The Muslims are very backward, socially and educationally, as compared to the so-called backward

castes among Hindus. Yet they are denied the benefits of reservation in educational institutions and

government jobs. Vice President Hamid Ansari was right when he said that the default by the State

in terms of deprivation, exclusion and discrimination is to be corrected. Addressing the All India

Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat on August 30, he exhorted, corrective strategies have to be sought

on category, differentiation admissible in Indian state practice and hitherto denied to Muslims,

while reminding the Muslims to look inward.

The reservation policy has outlived its utility. It has seriously compromised the merit and quality of

public services. It has turned the backwardness into privilege. The people who are benefited by the

quota system have developed vested interests. It is not only undermining the merit, but also making

the youth complacent. The backwardness, after all, is a disadvantage. It is an insult to the intellect to

determine backwardness on the basis of caste or birth. If the youth have to develop a healthy

competitive spirit and aspire to reach high goals, they must realise that hard work and perseverance

alone can help them. It is important to raise self worth and dignity of the individual.

If reservation cannot be scrapped immediately, at least the government should stop pampering the

people who are already benefited by it. Let the reservation be extended only to those people whose

parents are really poor and backward, irrespective of caste and religion, pending abolition of the

quota system altogether. If the ruling classes do not shun the electoral politics of reservation, we

may soon witness social unrest and civil war like situation.

The founding father of the Indian Republic wanted the reservation for SCs and STs temporarily for

some time to ensue a level playing field because of their social deprivation for generations. But what

we see today is perpetuation of the policy in an age of IT revolution, internet and social media

networking. It is important to raise the quality of education at all levels from primary to higher

educationand create jobs, upholding the principles of merit and equality of opportunities. The

quality of education can be improved only by ensuring proper infrastructure in educational

institutions and good teaching. Reservation cannot be a substitute for poor educational standards

and lack of competitiveness.

As per the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) released on July 3, a staggering 92% of rural

households reported their maximum income below Rs.10, 000 per month- the income of the highest

earning member being Rs. 5,000 or less. The SECC found that 51% village homes live on manual

casual labour, while 49% households show signs of poverty. The benefits of reservation have never

reached these segments of population, who actually deserve them. Their children can never think of

high profile jobs for want of access to quality primary and secondary education and equal

opportunities of learning.