{"id":61106,"date":"2019-02-28T17:04:12","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T11:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/?p=61106"},"modified":"2019-02-28T17:04:12","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T11:34:12","slug":"neta-dont-cast-vote-vote-caste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/2019\/02\/28\/neta-dont-cast-vote-vote-caste\/","title":{"rendered":"Neta: Don’t cast vote, vote caste"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quota In Perpetuity<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By Poonam I Kaushish<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019t cast their vote, they vote their caste. Sic.
\nWhat 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\u2019s Andhra decided to split the 10% EWS quota, 5% to it and the balance 5% to upper caste Kapus.
\nGehlot\u2019s 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.
\nLast November, Maharashtra\u2019s Fadnavis Government ceded 16% reservation for Marathas who account for 30% population and can swing votes for the BJP. Earlier, Haryana\u2019s 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.
\nFor Telangana\u2019s TRS Government which wants to give 12% reservations to Muslims, the Centre\u2019s 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.
\nThe only State to have protected its reservation in excess of 50% is Tamil Nadu, which placed a law guaranteeing 69% quota in the Constitution\u2019s Ninth Schedule, which acts as a shield against judicial review. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BSP\u2019s Mayawati went one step further. Both are pitching for Dalits and OBC job reservation in the private sector.
\nQuestionably, 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?
\nDoes 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\u2019s social fabric and harmony? How does it better the lot of the SC\/ST if a few get jobs?
\nCertainly, social justice is a desirable and laudable goal and it is the Government\u2019s fundamental mission to uplift the poor and backward classes, educate and provide them equal opportunities. Moreover, reservation for the \u2018economically backward and weak\u2019 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.
\nIndeed, 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.
\nAccording to a former Chairman of the National Commission on Backward Classes, \u201cThe politicians have converted reservation into a circus\u201d. 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.
\nQuotas 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 \u2018extraordinary and exceptional\u2019 circumstances,\u2019\u2019
\nPertinently, 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\u2019s quest to market Brand India\u2019s economic growth. Whose USP lies in the brain, skills and expertise of its educated and skilled manpower.
\nClearly, there is no place for double standards or the Orwellian concept of \u2018more equal than others\u2019 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\u2019s not fudge or forget this. Also, one cannot put a cap on human development.
\nBy 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 \u2014 a \u2018must\u2019 for any modern nation that wishes to forge ahead.
\nToday 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.
\nOver 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?
\nTime to remember Ambedkar\u2019s wise words against reservations and the hidden monsters. \u201cIf you want different societies to come together, reservation should be done away with because it becomes a hindrance to development.\u201d
\nIn 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\u2019s progress. Our leaders must look at the long-term implications and end this evil.
\nTime 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! \u2014\u2014 INFA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Quota In Perpetuity 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-61106","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-features"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61106"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61106\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}