Generally countries achieve progress and development because of their foresighted leaders and efficient governments. In India, we are able to achieve it in spite of our government and politicians. It may sound paradoxical but it’s the fact for India.
As Herbert Spencer has said ‘The Republican form of government is the highest form of government: but because of this it requires the highest type of human nature, a type nowhere at present existing.’
As the quota issue grips the entire nation’s youth and medicos enter 13th day of their hunger strike the UPA coordination committee and Left parties come out with the outrageous decision of 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to be implemented from June 2007!
The parliament which could never till date unanimously vote for 33% reservation for women is surprisingly united on this front. And why shouldn’t they be? After all who would like to lose their vote bags?
The opposition generally leaves no stone unturned when it comes to any religious issues. They even had time to violently react to Pope’s remarks on India’s religious intolerance. But back home, they seem to have no time to visit the medicos on hunger strike or to listen to their issues or concerns.
Well this is how democracy works! And as someone has correctly said, the right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.
So let’s consider the facts before going further and commenting for or against it. Though all of us would primarily agree upon the fact that Govt. needs to do something for the truly ‘backward’ and downtrodden sections of society, is reserving seats in institutes of higher education the right way to handle the issue, remains a highly debatable subject. And yet it was passed without a single debate in parliament.
First and foremost question that would come to anyone’s mind (of course except Govt. and HRD minister) is how is this quota system going to help the truly ‘Backward’ classes?
Going one step further, let’s try to understand whom do you call ‘backward’?
My understanding of this word defines it as some section of a society which is left behind in the development process and does not get equal opportunity or access to basic necessities like primary education, health care, electricity, hygienic living conditions, etc
Now what does a seat in IIM or IIT mean to such people? They don’t even get a chance to attend primary school so higher education hardly ever figures out on their priority list. But that’s what the Govt. wants them to get, a seat in IIM or IIT! How generous, isn’t it?
Now the second most important question, how did the Govt. arrive at the magical figure of 27%? When you talk about what percentage of Indian population actually comprises of OBCs, we have many numbers. Mandal puts it at 52 per cent, the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) at 32 per cent, the National Family and Health Survey at 29.8 per cent, which is the correct figure? Nobody bother to find out and specifically not the Govt.
Karan Thapar in his show ‘Devil’s Advocate’ interviewed the HRD minister Arjun Singh and clearly exposed him for not having any case to introduce 27% reservations in higher education. But who cares, anyways?
Another important question is why are we talking about reservation for OBCs in particular? As these institutes already have reservations for SC/ST candidates. Also OBCs are a sizeable portion of the society and out of them people who are already graduates and aspiring for further education from such premiere institutes don’t really come across as ‘backward’ people.
So now that we are sure that this quota system does not mean anything to truly ‘backward’ section, lets understand what it means to urban grads who are termed backward on caste basis by the Govt. Actually calling an engineer or doctor as ‘backward’ on caste basis is the biggest way to insult him/her. OBC graduates should be the first ones to protest against such discrimination.
Now for a minute let’s consider that such an urban grad, termed backward by Govt. gets a seat for higher education in IIT or IIM or some other premier institute. How does it help people of his/her caste? What will be his/her social circle?
Does a person who has become say a surgeon on quota basis is going to do anything for his caste?
Obviously he/she cannot. It's not even appropriate to expect that because everybody has a right to chose their own career path.
After passing out from premiere institutes like these and getting a high salaried job this person will settle in some ultra modern urban locality or probably even out of India, have just 1 or 2 kids who will enjoy best of living standard and of course will continue to get quota benefit in India.
So what is the Govt. trying to achieve?
Why this sudden flow of compassion for graduate OBCs from the Govt.?
Well the answer is simple and obvious; secure votes of ignorant and truly backward sections of society by playing caste based politics. Our politicians have inculcated the divide and rule policy very well from the British Raj, if nothing else.
If the Govt. acts in a manner which is just and in true interest of Indian youth, it will gain the youth’s support. But that is not what they want.
Why?
For very obvious reasons, well educated urban youth almost always stay away from their hometowns or even the country itself and rarely vote. Also votes of an educated and well-aware person can never be taken for granted by any party, so why invest in it anyways?
It’s pure vote business, nothing more nothing less.
So what can the youth do to change the country’s fate? Well many things.
To start with, we should all vote. Strike when the iron is hot. This is the right time. The whole nation and especially the Indian youth need to unite and stand by the medicos.
It’s time to follow Gandhiji’s principles. Total non-cooperation with Govt. If all schools, colleges, institutes, hospitals join in a total non-cooperation movement; the Govt. will be forced to kneel down.
We also need more young and educated youth in politics. So long as we have 60 to 80 year old illiterate, ignorant and criminal minded people in Govt. offices, hardly any reforms can be expected.
We should support newly formed parties like the Lok Paritran and come forth to form more such parties.
Revolution is what we need today.
Ending on Spencer’s quote again, as he aptly puts across the government's arrogance as its biggest mistake in the following lines.
‘Anyone who studies the state of things which preceded the French Revolution will see that the tremendous catastrophe came about from so excessive a regulation of men's actions in all their details, and such an enormous drafting away of the products of their actions to maintain the regulating organization, that life was fast becoming impracticable. And if we ask what then made, and now makes, this error possible, we find it to be the political superstition that governmental power is subject to no restraints.’
