Political Diary
New Delhi, 26 February
2019
Quota In Perpetuity
NETA: DON’T CAST VOTE, VOTE
CASTE
By
Poonam I Kaushish
With elections round the corner, quotas and queues are back on the
political platter as the BJP-led NDA Government and Opposition ruled States are
falling over themselves by unleashing this bhrahmastra.
All to reap political dividend in
the garb
of meting out social justice via
their electorally strong communities. After all, people don't cast their vote, they vote their caste. Sic.
What Modi Sarkar
does, its rivals can do one better. Post, the Centre granting 10% reservation
for the economically weaker sections (EWS), in the hope this would help
consolidate its core poor upper caste voters specially in the Hindi heartland,
Chandrababu Naidu’s Andhra decided to split the 10% EWS quota, 5% to it and the
balance 5% to upper caste Kapus.
Gehlot’s Rajasthan followed suit by ceding 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%. Central-ruled J&K
Governor Malik gave his nod to the J&K Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2014,
providing reservation to Paharis, who constitute 20% of the population and are
scattered in Punch and Rajouri in Jammu and Baramula and Kupwara in Kashmir.
Last November, Maharashtra’s Fadnavis
Government ceded 16% reservation for
Marathas who account for 30% population and can swing votes for the BJP. Earlier, Haryana’s
BJP Sarkar provided 6% reservation
for Jats and four other castes in Government posts and learning establishments.
And another 10% for the five castes in class 3 and 4 Sarkari jobs and educational institutions.
For Telangana’s TRS Government which wants
to give 12% reservations to Muslims, the Centre’s decision to provide 10% quota
in education and employment to EWS has come as a blessing in disguise. Now, it
would be easy for it to plead its case as the Centre itself is taking the
reservation percentage to 60 which is 10% more than the permitted level.
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. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BSP’s
Mayawati went one step further. Both are pitching for Dalits and OBC job
reservation in the private sector.
Questionably, can reservations be in perpetuity? Is it fair that a
meritorious person is denied admission or job because his quota is full? Where
does he head? When does backwardness
supercede equality guaranteed by our Constitution and equal opportunities in public employment? Has anyone assessed
whether those provided reservation have gained or continue to lose?
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? Are caste-based reservations the answer for maintaining India’s
social fabric and harmony? How does it better the lot of the SC/ST if a few get
jobs?
Certainly, social justice is a
desirable and laudable goal and it is the Government’s fundamental mission to
uplift the poor and backward classes, educate and provide them equal
opportunities. Moreover, reservation for the
‘economically backward and weak’ is important against the backdrop of their
abysmal representation in education, Government jobs and denial of promotion in
the upper echelons of service where decision-taking power vests.
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.
According to a former
Chairman of the National Commission on Backward Classes, “The politicians have
converted reservation into a circus”. Think. No study has been done to find out
whether post reservations any effort is made to build up the morale of the
backward classes to bring them into the mainstream. There are neither any
welfare programmes for them or quality education.
Quotas by themselves
will not transform village society whose social structure is built on an
edifice of illiteracy and ignorance which in turn perpetuates an iniquitous
caste system. Besides, this is unconstitutional as it breaches Article 14 that
espouses equality. Remember, 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,’’
Pertinently, the danger in imposing arbitrary education and job
quotas is three-fold. One, quality of excellence standards would be crippled by
ineptitude, ineffiency and incapacity. Two, in the long run merit would be
compromised. Three, any deterioration in the quality of education and governance
would 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.
Clearly, 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. Also, one cannot put a cap
on human development.
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 Rang
de Basanti 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 growing 3.5% annually,
employment is rising by 2.3% resulting in increasing joblessness.
Over 6000 have
applied for 10 joint secretary jobs advertised by the Modi Government. Thus,
none has given thought to the challenge of absorbing new entrants to the job
market, 12 million every year and clearing the backlog. In this scenario where
do quotas fit?
Time to remember Ambedkar’s
wise 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 has to think beyond vote-bank politics and
quotas which are divisive and
self-defeating whereby struggle between backwards and forwards is more
meaningful than Left and Right in politics. They 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 & Feature Alliance)
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