Political Diary

New Delhi, 28 August 2015

Reservation Bogie Again

BITING MORE THAN ONE CAN CHEW

By Poonam I Kaushish

Hardik Patel, Who? Till yesterday, an unknown strapping 21-year old gun-wielding lad is causing acute discomfort to Prime Minister Modi and his Party today. That too, in home State Gujarat, as he leads the Patidari Anamat (Reservation) Andolan Samiti movement demanding reservations which has snowballed in to a major conflagration. Underscoring, 21st Century India still remains the same: Quotas and queues are the all-season favourites!

Indeed it is puzzling and ironical that the Patels’ a very wealthy community who constitute nearly 15% of Gujarat’s 63m people controlling most of the diamond, agro and textile business in the State and owing a quarter of US motels want to be called “backward” and demand reservations. Why?

Notably, what Patel asserts makes sense. “Someone with 90% in engineering sells medicines while a Dalit with 40% becomes a doctor, thanks to reservation. Either the Government grants us reservation or discontinues it.” Questionably, in the name of demanding reservations is he really spearheading an anti-reservation movement? Or is reservation OK as long as it is linked to economic status not caste?

Either which way, Patel’s war cry could find resonance in modern India where many feel the job pie has not grown the way the reservation pool has. It could also blow open the affirmative can of worms in an explosive manner. Already Hardik uses provocative language, “We are following Gandhi and Sardar Patel ways, but can also go the Bhagat Singh way.” Read guns.

Clearly, not only is Patel giving the Centre and State Government palpitations. Post NaMo’s 15-year iron grip, it is the first time a novice has accumulated a five lakh plus crowd, worse the youngster has spelt ‘booting out’ Anandiben’s Government in 2017 Assembly polls if his diktat goes unheeded.

Add to this, Patel is adroitly espousing what the RSS and BJP had stated in its 1996 manifesto: Aarthik aadhar par reservations. In fact, Modi has carried this forward by propagating: Sabka saath, sabka vikas whereby education facilities would be given to everyone, thus none would ask for reservation.

However, this is easier said then done as over the years our netagan have made quotas and queues into a political milch cow. Merrily converting positive affirmation into vote percentages wherein social and economic upliftment is weighed on the scale of vote-bank politics. And merit is a dirty word.

Not satisfied with a benchmark of 50 per cent, set by the Supreme Court, our polity continues to bask in thoughtless adhocism, by hiking the percentage at the drop of a hat. Ranging from 69 per cent in Tamil Nadu to 80 per cent in Bihar and Karnataka. 

Raising a moot point: When does backwardness supercede equality assured by our Constitution? Are caste-based quotas the answer for maintaining India’s social fabric and harmony? How does it better the lot of the Patels and other OBC’s if a few persons get jobs?

Whatever happens to merit and excellence? Is it fair that a meritorious person is denied admission because his quota is full? Is reservation an end in itself? Has any objective study been done to find out the end result? Whether those provided reservation have gained or continued to lose?

True the Government’s fundamental mission is to uplift the poor, educate and provide them equal opportunities. But when education and job reservations are calculated on the basis of belonging to a particular caste or religion per se, it goes against Article 15(1) of the Indian Constitution. It not only divides the people but also harms national unity and fraternity.

The tragedy of it all is that the Mandal Frankenstein created by our netagan has come to bite them. It was all hunky dory and still is as they merrily satiate their greed for power by continuing to reap a political windfall of over 70 per cent votes via reservation. However, all forget a time comes when the system of caste-based quotas becomes divisive and self-defeating. Reservations are no answer to improving the lot of people.

What next? Our leaders need to realize that India of 2015 is not the India of 1989. When a young 18-year student, Rajiv Goswami publicly immolated himself. Time to rise above mindless populism, petty politricks and cry a halt to quotas as they are detrimental to long-term growth.

Specially in today’s increasingly competitive global village, where the race for supremacy in Asia is hotting up between China and India. Moreover, our polity has to deal with a savvy Rang de Basanti generation of youngsters aged between 18-35 years who constitute 50% population and believe in deliverables and achievables.  

Their thirst for education has gone by over 10-15 per cent. In Bihar alone, educational institutions have opened in every mohalla and gali. But reservation has failed to bridge the gap between the demand and supply for education given exploding student population juxtaposed with shrinking education pie.

Consequently, the danger in imposing arbitrary quotas on admissions to educational institutions is two fold. One, any deterioration in the quality of education which reflects in short-changing Brand India could jeopardize the country’s remarkable story of economic growth. Whose USP lies in the brain, skills and expertise of its educated and skilled manpower.

This, in turn, would lead to a subsequent slowdown in the economy and end up hurting the chances of economic upliftment for the people who are at the bottom of the economic ladder. Further, it would lead to a brain drain and disillusionment among the students.

Undeniably, the Government’s fundamental mission is to provide education, uplift the poor and have-nots alongside better quality of life. Towards that end, it has to think creatively about how to achieve the goal of putting everyone on equal footing. Merely having quotas in education will not spell excellence.

It needs to develop innovative ways of providing basic primary education for the backward classes to enable them to compete on an equal footing with the general category for merit-based admission to higher studies. By cramming down quotas in education is like putting the cart before the horse which pushes India back by a century. Until two plus two makes four at the primary level, how can they solve the theorem of life and sciences later?

In the ultimate, our petty power-at all-cost polity has to think beyond vote-bank politics and look at the perilous implications of their decisions. They must not be allowed to continue recklessly and play havoc with India’s progress. The Government must rethink the entire reservation policy and stop the blind application of quotas. Time to put its foot down

If this situation is not corrected now, India will soon become a State of incompetence and mediocrity. Which is a forerunner to anarchy. As Ambedkar said, “If you want different societies to come together, I think it is time that we decide that the use of the word ‘caste’ be banned in this country.” Adding, “Reservation too should be done away with because it becomes a hindrance to development.” The buck stops at Modi’s door. --- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)