Reservations

The whole of country (at least the urban areas) are up in arms against reservation. Thought will share my point of view.

Well, ideologically I am also pro-reservation. But when implemented in a society like ours (morally bankrupt) the whole ideological solution goes for a toss. For instance, any theory (in this case the reservation theory) is only as good until it's validated. Thus it was no good for Newton to tell us that the apple fell from the tree as there was gravitation. He had to do some real world experiments and come up with theories and formulas to substantiate it. Similarly the reservation theory has been put to test in the last 50 years and what are the results of validation ? Not much aint it. The disadvantaged sections of the society goes through the same old grind of agriculture, poverty, not enough output, high school drop outs and farmer suicides. Clearly my ideology which looked so good on paper is not working. There is no evidence that reinforcing it with renewed vigor is going to change the situation. In fact quite the contrary : Consider this, due to the wide spread protests and the fear of losing the upper caste vote bank the govt. is going to compensate it with increasing the number of seats in the IITs and IIMs. Now it's a totally different story that reserving seats in these institutions are not going to pull the drought ridden farmer out of his misery. But that thing aside, this increase in number of seats is going to cost the exchequer 10,000 crore rupees. And who benefits, the same old upper class, the rich among the OBCs, the rich among the SCs. So in effect the govt. now will actually spend MORE money on the upper class (note class and not caste) from its pocket post reservation than it was actually doing. Money that should be used to improve primary schooling, money that should be used to resolve the problems of drought and irrigation. Money that should be used to stop female feticide. Money that should be used to fight fatal diseases. Money that SHOULD NOT be used to benefit half dozen people in IIT/IIM who are anyway going to make it big since they have come this far.

Point 2, consider this -- The UPA govt. goes ahead with the reservation and becomes a champion of the OBC cause. Mass support for it from all sections of backward class. Don’t you think it becomes doubly easy for the UPA to implement it's neo-liberal policies. Now if some backward guy says, 'Hey I don’t want FDI in retail', PC's gonna say, 'Folks you got 50% reservation, we did it for you. We are for you. Go home'. And he is going to go ahead with the neo-lib policies easily. Policies which AGAIN are going to help the already established upper class and not the poor peasant slogging it out in the fields.

Now, all this rambling is well and good, but who ever is anti-quota should also come up with an alternative solution. I have an alternate plan. The real difference between an upper class (again not caste) and a lower class is not created in the IITs and NITs. It happens much before that. In the elite institutions at the urban center, in the convent schools, in the DPSs and St Xaviers. That's where we need a 50% quota. Even on a caste basis would do.