Reservation in India

India’s sheer size, diversity, and an already prevalent menace called the caste system provided a perfect opportunity for the imperialistic British Empire to follow a “Divide and conquer” approach. Independent India desperately needed a reservation system to eliminate discrimination, oppression, untouchability, and exploitation.

     India implemented a reservation system with a vision of uplifting the economically and socially backward population. The whole purpose was to provide equal opportunities for all, and the system has been successful in being fair. Between 2004-05 and 2011-12, more people among the deprived social classes, namely Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), were brought above the poverty line, compared to other segments of the Indian society, according to data released by the Planning Commission. 

Pro and Cons of Reservations

A person from poor economic status and backward caste has studied alongside privileged students in a quality college and grabbed a good job. People once deemed untouchable by illiterate and orthodox people are today’s budding doctors, engineers, artists, and the list is limitless.

     In the present scenario, the population in India is exploding at an alarming level giving rise to the demand for more educational institutes, jobs, infrastructure, and cut-throat competition for resources. It has resulted in massive contention among students and job aspirants alike. Arguments from the pro-reservation and anti-reservation camps are never-ending, each fiercely defending their points of view.

Vote Bank Politics

     Vote bank politics are dividing India further in caste, religion, region, and status. The relevance of caste-based reservations has become diluted thanks to rampant exploitation of the reservation policy. Caste has now become a potent political point which is worrisome if we consider the future. In our 67 years of independence, the successive governments, instead of eradicating discrimination, have learned to recognize the caste system directly due to its political weight, causing a further divide in the Indian population. Is this the idea of a developed country we continue to envision?

     Even today, week, underprivileged people, irrespective of castes, do not have access to primary education and struggle to make ends meet daily. Such economically backward people deserve to be allowed to study and “prove themselves in their respective fields” because good talent needs to be nurtured.

     Anti-Reservation supporters may say that a person’s family earning 100 times India’s per capita income can avail reservation because they belong to the reserved category. Isn’t this exploitation and injustice? What about all the economically backward people belonging to the general category? The answer to these questions is that today’s policy is against fair competition and is often misused. But, it is to be observed that though social discrimination has drastically reduced in cities, the scene has remained more or less the same in rural India.

Reservation based on the economic status

Even after these many years of reservation quotas, though people have attained parity in living status, it is a fact that discrimination based on caste has remained rooted in many parts of the country. And yes, the economically backward sections belonging to the unreserved category are facing injustice too.

     Apart from this, half of the rural population does not come under the tax purview. Moreover, it is almost impossible to reasonably identify people based only on their economic status because of the vast population and extent of corruption. Thus, it is impossible to ensure that only they get the right to reservations from economically weaker sections. So, it would be fair to revoke reservations for people who have benefited from the reservation policy.

One may ask why a person who has already attained economic parity and has access to decent amenities to lead a decent life to be given reservation further so that his children and grandchildren enjoy the same special status? True, that is why the creamy layer concept has to be taken more seriously in every category, be it SC/ST/BC/OBC and whatnot, but no one dares to talk about it since it is politically sensitive.

     Newer problems arise when other castes that were to date under the non-reserved category are lobbying to include their caste in the reserved category. If you refer to the Annual Report of the National Commission for Backward Classes 2013-14, you can see that the total number of centrally listed OBC of 31st Mar 2014 stands at 2416. Please note that this number was 1257, around 52% of the population, when the Mandal Commission was constituted in 1979. To make things worse, a government panel has recently recommended 27 percent reservation in private sector jobs for candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC). 

The way ahead

       Slowly and gradually, it is the people’s mindset that should change. People should stop identifying themselves with their caste and give up their false sense of egos and false pride. The reservation policy has to come to an end someday; else, there would come a day where justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity would cease to make sense in India. And people from various castes will vigorously fight for reservation citing all kinds of reasons, and the caste divide will deepen more and more.

People have to understand that social stratification and inequality have to end before thinking about abolishing reservations. Equality makes no sense when people identify themselves as inferior or superior based on their birth! This stupidity has to end!

     Every person has the right to equality, and the current version of the reservation system has to be amended to do justice to its original vision and plan. Wouldn’t you love to see a day where there is no more divide based on caste, religion, and a person born in this country would be known just as an Indian National? Some may say that this is just a dream, and a person who thinks this is possible should come to terms with reality.

      Well, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam once said, “You have to Dream before your Dreams can come true.”

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