Reservations...between the devil and well, the devil

After the OBC reservation decision given by the Supreme Court, we saw extreme reactions from both camps – the pro and the anti reservation proponents.

Let’s take each camp at a time.

Let’s start with the anti-reservation activists.

The first thing that the anti-reservationists need to understand is that the Supreme Court’s decision is in no way a vindication of meritocracy. The decision is merely based on a technicality, that the proper data needs to be provided before the 27% reservation can be brought into effect (basic common sense tells us that as well – data taken in 1931 represents a wildly different India). The quantum of 50% reservation has always been pronounced as a socially equitable measure by the judiciary and this is not going to change. The fact that half of the intellectual capital of this country would be without merit and of no use other than a democratic farce is never a point of dispute or even of debate.

However constructive debates is something that is not being indulged in by the groups that should most employ it – educated students who have the ability to articulate their opinions.

The Anti-reservation side is a camp that is dominated in most part by the ‘Youth for Equality’ (YFE) group (which has turned political now, with success in JNU elections) which is increasingly having a monolithic single point political agenda – Stop Reservations of all kinds without compromise. While reservations are a burden on the country and would affect our potential in the long run, taking a militant stand would never help.

A militant stand would only exacerbate the existing caste tensions and would be gratefully used by caste politicians as another excuse to point out upper caste “oppression” to their electorate. In a climate of barricades, the white flag of dialogue is never on the horizon.

This militant stand was obvious by the manner of celebrations witnessed after the Supreme Court verdict when sweets were distributed and drum processions were taken out. All of this only has an affect of hardening stances on both sides and the shadow of casteism looms larger than ever, with identities becoming caste oriented more than ever before. It is unfortunate that the only group of consequence is displaying tendencies that are more rhetorical than constructive political education. I don’t see much of a future for this group except as a rabble rouser, which is unfortunate as the need of the hour is for a group of people who can take principled, educated stand and can dig in for the long run.

Now let’s look at the Pro-reservationists.

This camp too has a single point agenda – get as many seats as possible reserved.

And the single point justification around which pro-reservationists rally around is the term “social justice”. This is laughable at best and a dangerous concept at its worst. This point presumes to penalize the so called “Upper Caste” in perpetuity for the crimes of discrimination practiced by their ancestors. This is like saying that Germans should keep on paying for the crimes for their Nazi predecessors as long as Jews, gypsies, Slavs live on. Or that Christians should be demonized forever for the horrific massacres they inflicted when they captured Jerusalem in 1099.

The counter-point to this argument is that the discrimination practiced is not ancient at all, but alive and well today. Well, I believe that the only reason casteism will harden will be because politicians will not let it die a natural death – it’s too much of a juicy target for electoral votes. Young people won’t bother too much with caste and would reject it as an ossified artifact unless there is a clear and present cause for ratcheting up their caste identities – starts from the admission to educational institutions and spills over to marriage. So, all I can say to the bleeding heart liberals is that their “social justice” is helping cause the exact opposite. This is of course, something they already know.

And then is social justice the only agenda for a country? ; What about productivity, about recognition of merit? Its clear that reservations have no salutary affect whatsoever on this front. Tamil Nadu has 69% reservations (mathematical fallacy actually – at more than 50%, you wonder if it isn’t the general category whose seats are reserved!!!!!) and yet all the IT companies have gone on record saying that more than 60% graduates are not fit for employment. And it’s an old fact that bright students in the state leave on the first opportunity. Just having seats reserved without adequate support infrastructure won’t work and hasn’t worked anywhere.

Consider another point.

Since there is no provision of excluding the people from within the reserved category who already have reaped the benefits and are now at a financial and social position to forego the reservation, what is created is a new elite upper caste from among the lower caste who now have the means to garner all the benefits for themselves and prevent the benefits from reaching those who need them. A child of an IAS officer does not need reservations while a farmer’s child from a rural part of the BIMARU state does. But tell me, who has a more chance of getting it?

So much for social justice.

Let the pro-reservationists talk about the way real social justice can be achieved, instead of parroting what their cynical caste leaders put in their mouths. Social justice at the grassroot level, introduction of more innovative schemes like mid day meals so that drop-out rates are decreased and people get a proper education. People who can barely write their names are shouting on the streets for their right to get into an IIM. Laughable.

But they won’t say it because it’s a long term plan and tangible benefits are only apparent after a generation. China is miles ahead of India for the human investments it made after the 1949 revolution. We only have a myopic 3-4 year horizon at best.

And the Anti-reservation activists will only say it in a vague fashion, as a theory and not come up with an attractive executable plan – no Hugo Chavian Venezuelan social revolution. The reason – they got a good thing going with the political capital gained by the spike in anti-reservation feelings among the general category. So, make hay while the sun shines, as our childhood idiom goes.

And caught between the two will be our future as a stable, united, progressive, egalitarian country where the only thing that would matter or should matter would be the amount of talent and hard work you put in your trade and not the kind of caste you are born into.

India poised? Maybe but the wings are clipped.

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