Introduction
We have seen the big Maratha reservation bill tabled in the Maharashtra assembly last week. The Maratha community is considered to be the affluent one with Shivaji Maharaj coming from the same community. So the question that arises is why do we want to go backward even in 2024 India? Although reservation is a very touchy point which generally our politicians use during the time of elections.
The people of India belonging to the reserved class or having reservations are also very particular about this special privilege given to them. Let us check why the reservation was justified, how relevant it is in current India, and why no political party wants to touch this point even after 77 years of Independence.
Need for Reservation
Dr. Ambedkar was the chairman of the drafting committee which was formed to prepare the constitution. He was of the view that to bring social equality between the different classes at that point, it was necessary to give separate constituents for scheduled castes and tribes. This was to ensure proper representation of the marginalized sections.
He also put forward his views that reservations given to the people should also be monitored and reviewed every 10 years to ensure the changes they brought in. If the reservation has helped the condition of a particular class then it should be discontinued for the next generations to come.
The Reservation system was brought in to make the vulnerable and weaker sections of the society become “Atma Nirbhar” if I have to use the current verbiage of Mr. Modi. So what do you think? Have we achieved the goals and dreams of Babasaheb, to answer it in one word, No. Remember, he wanted a “Classless Society” not a “Society with different Classes”.
Who is benefiting from the current situation?
It is quite obvious that we have not been able to eradicate the evils of untouchability or divide between the upper and lower classes in some areas in India. There are sporadic events highlighted by the electronic and print media now and then. However, let me be very clear, in the current scenario, in most of the places, the situation of lower castes has improved drastically.
I would not shy away from saying that the upper caste has been marginalized now in most places. There are many incidents where people with reservations have become so affluent and they have continued to reap the benefits for generations. In the common man’s language, there is a creamy layer in the backward classes who have benefited and poor marginalized people have continued to suffer. Let us check this with one example.
- Suresh comes from a general category whose father is an employee working in a private company with a salary of 25k per month. Suresh has secured a score of 144 out of 200 in a medical competitive exam.
- Kishore comes from a backward class whose father is an engineer in a public sector company. Kishore has studied in good private coaching and secured a score of 140 out of 200 in the same medical competitive exam.
Now, to clear me up a little bit, Suresh has secured a medical seat at a BHMS college in tier 3 city whereas Kishore has secured an MBBS seat in tier 1 city. This example illustrates how the reservation system has exploited the general category of people.
Again, I am reiterating, that there are people in backward classes also who are poor with little benefit provided by the current system. Even if you give the reservation to the poor backward class and if they do not have resources to meet their daily livelihood then the current system is only making a mockery of them.
Why political parties have kept themselves aloof from improving the current situation?
You must have seen that whenever there is an election all the political parties bring in the rhetoric of giving reservation or extending it to other classes or religions. Even though there are clear guidelines from the Supreme Court of India that the total percentage of reservations provided cannot exceed the limit of 50%.
Now, we should also note that no political party has ever dared to abolish the current reservation system, even for people who have benefited from generations and become wealthy now. This is because they know that if they dare to bring in any progressive change, they will be out of power next time. It is quite natural for the beneficiaries to not lose the current piece of cake even though it comes by exploiting the other section of the society.
In 2019, just before the general elections, the Modi government announced the EWS scheme which was in a way a welcome step. It was a reservation based on the economic condition of the person. We do not know what was the success rate of that scheme but it was a bold step.
What do we require to mitigate Social Inequality?
The reservation system was envisaged as a way to improve the conditions of the poor and backward class as they did not have an equal say in the system or lesser representation. Things improved with time for the backward classes but the idea of Dr. Ambedkar to give reservation for 10 years only was somehow forgotten. So what needs to be done now, let us check.
The political parties in India should come together and reform the constitution of India to help the country come out of this social inequality. This reform is to give reservation to only the economically poor people of the country. Otherwise, this imbalance will keep on repeating itself if we push reforms for only one section of society.
The government of India should bring in reforms for the PSU sector also. The young and talented candidates should not only focus on getting jobs in the government companies but also in the private sector without any fear. The government of India should make the policies of private and public sector companies at par. This will help the unemployment rate to come down drastically as the majority of the youth are looking for only government jobs in rural areas.
Conclusion
Many things can be done to reform the policies and bring in positive change but it requires a lot of willpower. Earlier, the central government formed with the support of too many political parties was handicapped and could not make bold decisions. We have seen things are improving now as the government formed in the states and even in the central government has a clear majority. As Modi pointed out there are only 4 castes in India which are poor, youth, women, and farmers. If all the political parties come out of their selfish power games, they can make India a golden bird once again.