- Relevant for Sociology Syllabus: Paper 1 Politics and Society; PAPER-2 – Challenges of Social Transformation)
- (Relevant for GS Syllabus: Paper 1– poverty and developmental issues)
RESERVATION – IT’S FLIPSIDE
- Reservation in India is a very hotly debated topic. Historically it was meant only for dalits, then it was extended to include OBC’s based on Mandal Commission report (1991). Initially, the castes that were reported were backward in their truest sense. But, gradually the affirmative action of reservation policy is being diluted and destroyed for cheap political gains.
- For example, Marathas were classified as a forward caste in Maharashtra by Mandal Commission but now they also get 12% quota and are classified as backward by the state government a year ago, in the same way, jats also got 5% reservation in Haryana. These were done only to appease these dominant castes by political parties for their own vote banks. These Marathas produced many chief ministers yet they are considered backward, and state governments clearly buckled to their agitation.
- In Karnataka also, Lingayats who constitute 16% of state population and Vokkaligas who constitute 10% of the population are the most politically dominant & powerful castes, a but are branded as backward classes and being 5% quota each. 11 of 16 chief ministers of Karnataka since independence belong to these two cases only.
- Yet, hypocritically they are considered backward, whereas in the central list they are classified as a forward caste. Essentially, what is happening right now is that almost every caste has come under the banner of Other backward classes, except handful castes like Brahmins, Baniya-Vaishyas, Rajputs, Thakurs, Patels, Kapus to name a few to which I belong, unfortunately.
- If every caste is included under some or the other quota then what is the use of reservation, the basic essence of backwardness is lost. Being a so-called “forward caste” student I also had to face the brunt of this reservation system, during my entry into medical college, while my so-called “backward class” friends got a very good college even after getting fewer marks than me, I was left alone only to curse the system.
- These “backward” friends were way better than me in terms of financial & social prospects, yet they reaped the fruit at the end. And this quota saga is nowhere near to ending, as day by day a new caste is being added to give them quotas and loot the prospects of general category students.
- The best example is present-day Maharashtra where a hefty 73% of seats are reserved, and only remaining 27% are for unreserved category and above that reserved category students are also allotted under just general category if they get good ranks.