RESERVATION

The constitution of India says all Indians are equal.  Unfortunately reality is contrary to the same.  Indian society is inequitable with discrimination existing within religion, castes and sex.  Certain sections of our society are the deprived sections and this cannot be denied least by the Government, which is the Apex Body for making policies which can remove disparities.

At the time of Independence, the makers of the Constitution had rightly envisioned that the deprived section of the society needed to be improved through education and employment opportunities.  Reservation to the backward class, scheduled tribe, and scheduled castes was essential in order to bring them at par with the others.  It was an attempt to create equity in educational, economic and social areas.  However this affirmative action was to exist for 10 to 20 years only.  It was an attempt to strive for an egalitarian society.  However, it became a slogan of the political parties for compensating for the damages inflicted in the past. 

Even after 50 years of independence, the minorities and the oppressed are still deprived because only the creamy layer is being benefited with reservations.  Reservations are actually not reaching the people for whom they are really intended.  The game plan of the politicians is clearly abundant in this ‘Quota Raj’.  Reservation has become a means for getting more and more benefits.  As a matter of fact, the scope of reservation has enlarged to quite an extent. Does it mean that backwardness has increased?   Today it is sad to say that different religious communities are also demanding reservation.  The latest in this the Gujjars, Muslims and Christians want the privilege of reservation to be extended to them.

As a matter of fact competition has started among communities for proving their backwardness.  Reservation provides a lot of benefits in the employment and education to the backward, creating vested interests.  Today people want to be considered backward rather than forward.   

Is it not injustice to give special privileges on the basis of birth?  Does this not take away the right of a brilliant student for securing a seat in higher education and getting a job in the Government sector?  In an equitable society rights of all citizens are protected.  In India castes are the predominant factor used for reservation in Government jobs and in higher education.  As a matter of fact in States like Tamilnadu, there is reservation of 69% seats and what about the 31%.  It would not be out of place to say that reservation have become an election games.  Reservation on the basis of actually leads to exclusion.  If one looks at it closely, other backward classed are comparable for forward class on many parameters.  They outshine forward castes in business ownership, rural employment, land holding and our wealthier than their forward counterparts.  Allocating quotas or reservation is nothing but a form of discrimination.  50 years of reservations and India still harping on backwardness clearly proves that reservation is no way to improve the status of the lower classes.  Meritocracy has been sacrificed at the alter of reservation which India is moving towards becoming an economic super power, can meritocracy be ignored.  Mewrit is the only tool which can help India compete with the developed countries of the world.  If our politicians continued to divide our country on the basis of caste, religions and community by offering privileges to the section of the society then brain drain of our intellectuals would continue leaving the country starved of brilliant students.  It is evident from the number of students seeking admission abroad and migrating permanently to other countries.  With paucity of job in our country, stiff competition and reservation.  The Indian youth is left with no option but to seek green pastures.

Is it not ironical that the same political who blow the trumpet of reservation do not prefer to be treated by Doctors, coming from the backward caste, where the cut of % for a general class candidate is nothing less than above 90 – 95%.  For a backward class there is no lower limit.  It simply depends on the number of reserved seats available.  In the end I would like to say that the reservation is no solution specially higher education and professional colleges.  As a matter of fact proper facilities of education and other incentives should be  provided at the level of school education so that the children coming from the backward community are able to stand on their two feet and complete with the others for seats in higher education.

Reservation are like crutches which will always prove to be a handicapped for the deprived section of the society.  Indian does not need handicapped people to achieve its goal of becoming a super power but needs people with substance and meant to represent it on the global arena.

Reservation is a curse which is dividing our country on the basis of caste, community and religion.  We need to be united not divided for becoming a force to reckon with .....

                                 “United we stand  -  divided we fall” 

Vandana Puri

Principal