Reservation bills and its implications

The Gorvernment of India, has tabled a bill, introducing the world of reservations intothe private colleges in India. Expectedly, they have left out the ‘private minority’ institutions out of the purview of this bill. Quite some time back, they also tried to initiate a reservation bill among private industries. All this while, the gorvernment alsoseemed to tread a path whuch said they will not distinguish, that everyone is equal and that they are ‘secular’.

Reservations, now has become a political tool used by the state and central gorvernment toconsolidate their vote bank rather than use the policy judiciously for the wholesome develo-mpent of the people of the country.

One must agree that the introduction of reservations by the Nehru gorvernment was a positive step. During the pre-independence, the baboos and the brahmins, the forward caste had prospe-red a lot, and a gulf between them and the other people had to be bridged. But, even Nehru did not intend reservations to go on and on. Subsequent gorvernments has made this issue a sensitive one, a political one which influences the votes.

We,the people should realise that the ‘backward classes’ have been enjoying reservations forthe past 57 years, and if in these 57 years, they have been unable to bridge the gap betweenthem and the ‘forward class’, then it is only them to blame. Well, the so called ‘forward c-lass’ has been struggling with reservations for the past so many years and it is to theircredit that still FC people are in a position where the control most of India’s economy.( I think only political power has eluded them…laloo and karunanidhi and babulal gaurs rulethe roost in this field)

On the point of reservation in private institutes, I was not surprised that the UPA announcedit. For a coalition, in which most parties have made the grade because of their vote banks in the BC and minority, this was an expected move. What more, the fact that minority institutionswere left out, conviced me that this whole exercise is to gain votes and not for the uplifmentof the B.C.’s (congress cannot afford to affront the muslims by imposing reservations in muslimrun colleges, because they are ‘secular’)Now, by closing the only avenue where students get education based on their competence, the gorvernment has decided that it will punish competence and shower incomptence with its goodies.

The gorvernment should also try to find out who will benifit from these reservations. It is notgoing to be the poor B.C. studnet, because even if he manages admission based on reservation,he will not be able to afford the high fees that these institutes charge. It is going to be a rich B.C. fathers son, having money to spend on bikes and latest mobile, for whom admission toa proffessional course is going to be forgone conclusion.

But, I do believe that India needs reservations, but it should be based on the economic condition of the people. The poor should benifit. Reservations should be there for rural students. It is a villager who is unable to afford tutions and coaching to get into an IIT,not a dalit in the village and not a dalit in a city.

All said, India’s policies will not change overnight. Nor can one see this policy changing in the next 1000 years ( till vote banks remain, reservations will remain). What can be expected from the gorvernment is some riders in the existing reservation rules. Some of them that, I would like to see are

1. A rider which does not allow a person to use his B.C. status all his life. There are people who use it to get into a govt college for undergraduate, then for P.G and then use it to get a government job. The point, I am trying to make is, once a person using his class gets admitted to a instituiton, he is getting the same standard of education as the others. If he is unable to compete with the rest of his peers, it is his incompetence, and for future selections, the gorvernment can make sure that the competency is the basis for selection. From my personal experience, I can site a example of a fellow who got admission to IIT-Delhi for his undergraduate. Unable to compete in IIT-D with his peers, he decided that all his hard work in IIT-D will be so that he graduates from IIT-D. This student, then again flashes his B.C. card to get admission to a post graduate course at IIT-B, where again he finds it hard to compete with his peers. What this fellow has done is made sure that two more competent students do not get to study in IIT, because he is a B.C. Also, I am sure he will use his status to get a plum gorvernment job after he passes out of IIT-B. Thus, end result, the fellow is not using the edsucation he gained at these reputed institutes to get ahead in life, but a certificate he got by virtue of being born to B.C. parents.

2. A rider which disallowes any person to use his B.C. status, if any of his/her parents have already used it. I think this follows simple logic. If a carpenter’s son,as a B.C. gets an engineers degree and a good job, why should his son, an engineers son, who has access to good schools, coaching etc, be the benificiery of the same B.C. status. There are innumerable examples for this case. A friend of mine, got into IIT on a B.C. seat, his father is a leading doctor, his M.B.B.S also coming on a B.C. seat. Observe the serpentine queues to pick up Anna University forms and you will see a poor Upper caste boy, whose parents cannot afford a 500 rupee form standing in the queue, with all his hopes attached to how he will perform in TNPCEE, and a girl coming in a Cielo, buying a 250 rupee form, assured that she will get a seat in an engineering college.

All this reminds me of Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged’. It is very easy to imagine what will happen to India if the Forward castes just decide to go on a strike.