Political
Diary
New Delhi, 10 November 2020
Quota = Votes
HOOTING
FOR MEDIOCRITY
By Poonam
I Kaushish
Quotas
and queues have always been the bane of Indian politics. Wherein, our netagan are busy in populist bravado,
vote-bank one-upmanship and nonsensicality doling out reservations like moongphalis to pander to their
constituents. Underscoring, 21st Century India’s quagmire: Quota = Votes a sure
shot combination for sitting on a Raj gaddi.
Haryana’s
BJP Sarkar Friday passed the Haryana
State Employment of Local Candidates Bill providing 75% reservation for local
candidates applying to private sector jobs that pay less than Rs 50,000 per
month. However, as it contravenes Article 14 and 19 (equality before law and
right to practice any profession anywhere in India), the Bill awaits
Presidential assent.
Taking a
que Karnataka too decided to reserve Group C and D jobs
for ‘Kannadigas’(who stay in the State for over 10
years and studied Kannada until Class 10) in both public and private
sector, addressing a long-standing demand by pro-Kannada groups,
notwithstanding it also could face legal hurdles.
Pertinently,
this despite the Supreme Court staying recently the implementation of 2018 Maharashtra
law granting 13% reservation to Marathas in education and 12% jobs but made it
clear that the status of those who have availed of the benefits will not be
disturbed. Asserting, “Reservation is not a Fundamental Right and no Government
can force companies to hire people.”
Predictably,
it has raised the hackles of the industry. The danger is three-fold. One, the
State will not only lose its competitiveness but also no company would want to
invest here. Two, ineptitude, inefficiency and incapacity could cripple
excellence standards and short-change the NDA’s quest to market Brand India’s
economic growth. Whose USP lies in the brain, skills and expertise of its
educated and skilled manpower. Three, in the long run merit would be
compromised.
Of course,
this does not detract from that providing employment to locals is a desirable
and laudable goal. But it cannot be at the cost of imposing arbitrary job
quotas and nurturing mediocrity. Is it fair that a meritorious person is denied
a job because he is an ‘outsider’? Obversely, which State would hire
Haryanavis? Where will they go? In a democracy no
Government can force companies to hire people.
Madhya Pradesh recently announced that all
Government jobs in the State shall be reserved only for those who are born in
the state. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BSP’s Mayawati are pitching
for Dalits and OBC job reservation in the private sector. Other States like
Andhra, Telangana are not far behind with their reservation banner.
Last year Gehlot’s Rajasthan ceded
Gujjars, Banjaras, Gadia Lohars, Raikas and Gadaria their demand for 5%
reservation in jobs and educational institutes. No matter this 5% is above the OBC quota of
21%, thereby taking
the total to 26%. Union Territory J&K provided reservation to Paharis, who constitute 20% of the
population and are scattered in Punch and Rajouri in Jammu and Baramula and
Kupwara in Kashmir.
The only State to have protected its reservation
in excess of 50% is Tamil Nadu, which placed a law guaranteeing 69% quota in
the Constitution’s Ninth Schedule, which acts as a shield against judicial
review.
The tragedy of it all is that the Mandal fiend unleashed by
our netagan in 1989 has come to bite
them. They have converted reservation into a circus. Think. No study has been
done to find out whether post quotas any effort is made to build up the morale
of those given reservation to bring them into the mainstream. There are neither
any welfare programmes for them or quality education.
Worse,
given the level of dishonesty and irresponsibility which increasingly governs
our political system, no leader is willing to look us in the eye and confess
that we are the cause of this mess thanks to our fixation for self-satiation of
vote-banks politics. All forgot that quotas becomes divisive and self-defeating
whereby struggle between backwards and forwards is more meaningful than Left
and Right in politics.
Questionably,
is reservation an end in itself? Not at all. Has anyone assessed whether those
provided reservation have gained or continue to lose? No. Are quotas the answer
for maintaining India’s social fabric? Never as it only divides people and
harms national unity. How does it better the lot of myriad castes, sub-castes and
the deprived if a few persons get jobs?
Does
it make sense if someone with 90% in engineering sells medicines while a Dalit
with 40% becomes a doctor, thanks to reservation? What purpose does quota serve
when a student or officer is unable to cope with the decision-making process? When does backwardness supercede equality
assured under Article 15(1)? How is the Government going to avoid reverse
discrimination?
Indeed,
one would forgive our netas their
one-upmanship, populist bravado and reckless ad hocism if it bettered the lot
of the downtrodden and poor. However
experience shows that no amount of legislation has bettered the lot of the
deprived if a few get jobs and admission in educational institutes. Reservation
is not the sole panacea for eradicating poverty. Moreover, it is dangerous to
indulge in stoking rivalries on the facetious reason that it to uplift the
down-trodden.
Time
our leaders remember that reservation was to be made in exceptional
circumstances and there are various legal precedents for this. The 1992
judgment capped reservation at 50% allowing for a hike only in case of
‘extraordinary and exceptional’ circumstances.’’ Also, there is no place for
double standards or the Orwellian concept of ‘more equal than others’ in a
democracy. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. The Fundamental
Rights provide for equal opportunities for all irrespective of caste, creed or
sex. Let’s not fudge or forget this. Moreover, one cannot put a cap on human
development.
Unfortunately,
ground realities and make-believes sociology do not always correspond.
Reservations is not the sole panacea for eradicating poverty, nor will it
transform the village society whose social structure is built upon an edifice
of illiteracy and ignorance which in turn perpetuates an iniquitous caste
system.
Further,
it is neither a guarantee that locals or members of castes will get Government or
private jobs or seats in Parliament and State Assemblies. By that token, the whole social reform
movement will become meaningless. Our leaders should remember that
universalisation of reservation will mean goodbye to excellence and standards
--- a ‘must’ for any modern nation that wishes to forge ahead.
Today
our polity has to realise that it has to deal with a savvy “I demand”
generation aged between 18-35 years who constitute 50% population and believe
in action not reaction. They seek jobs on merit in an over-crowed employment
market where the labour force is hardly growing resulting in increasing
joblessness.
Scandalously,
even as our netas swear by Ambedkar
they have conveniently forgotten his words against reservations and the hidden
monsters. “If you want different societies to come together, reservation should
be done away with because it becomes a hindrance to development.”
In
the ultimate, our petty power-at all-cost polity must not be allowed to
continue recklessly and play havoc with India’s progress. Our leaders must look at the long-term
implications and end this evil.
Time now to rethink the entire reservation policy and
stop the blind application of quotas. No
longer will young India accept that power in privilege can be transformed
through electoral competition into power in numbers. Else reconcile to becoming
a nation of mediocrity! ---- INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)
|