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The
media is agog with this unexpected Supreme
Court’s stay on the implementation of the
government’s decision to reserve 27% seats for
Other Backward Classes, more popularly called
OBCs in central educational institutions,
including top schools like IITs, IIMs, and AIIMS
since it came yesterday sometime.
I have expressed many a times that any
identification and differentiation of the people
on the basis of castes must end, if India wishes
to be a modern great global economy, and that it
must wish above everything.
I was very happy with the report of an
initiative of Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, founder of
the Art of Living Foundation. About 5,000
people, including several Dalit and Hindu
leaders, pledged to work against untouchability
and discrimination through a seven-point action
plan at the first truth & reconciliation
conference held in New Delhi.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of
Living Foundation, addressing the conference,
had said, “Discrimination is not sanctioned by
religion. Every Hindu should be educated about
the fact that many sacred texts were written by
Dalits maharashis in Hindu literature. Notable
examples are the two great epics, Ramayana and
Mahabharata written by Dalit Maharishis Ved Vyas
and Valmiki. Fear and communication gap between
communities is keeping us apart. We must
reconcile differences.” The seven-point action
plan focused on ensuring temple entry for Dalits,
collective celebrations of festivals including
community feasts, abolishing the practice of
separate utensils for Dalits, empowerment of
women from economically weaker sections of
society, providing educational facilities to
weaker sections, spiritual and religious
education to Dalit children and equality and
justice for all. As a symbolic implementation of
the plan, leaders partook in a community feast.
Dalit leader and president of the Indian Justice
Party, Udit Raj welcomed the initiatives and
advocated that the posts of the head of maths be
filled by priests from every caste on a rotation
basis.
Why should any honest Indian or, if I say so,
Hindu disagree with any of the seven points? I
don’t think there is any rationality in
perpetuating the caste system that is the
unnecessary and damaging burden from the
history. Let the country men including the
Hindus agree to dismantle it, if not with one
stroke, over a timeframe. Caste based society
kept India slaves for centuries and certainly
none would like to get that exploited again and
again by the vested interests to keep us at the
bottom of the pyramid.
Some pertinent questions need answers.
Should the caste system with its damaging
historical past be the main identifying factor
of the society? Do and will the people of India
and particularly the next generations like to
perpetuate their identification by their castes?
Why was the census based on the caste dropped
after 1931? Even if it was by a default, it must
be considered as a wonderful decision to
integrate the society.
Should the Indian constitution be amended to
provide for a single-issue headcounts or
referendum?
Does the unanimous backing of the parliament
members for reservation, or for that matter on
any issue of shellfish interest of the members
such as office of profits bill mean the wills of
the people of India?
However, I wonder why could those opposing
quotas for OBCs not find even a single MP to
support their cause and oppose the bill that is
getting so much of indirect moral support from
judiciary.
Is the judiciary doing what is just technically
correct and judicially prudent or is it the ego
war between the judiciary and the legislature to
prove its supremacy?
The court might have certain justification for
stay such as lack of authentic data on the size
of OBC population, extent of backwardness, as
well as the centre’s adamant refusal to exclude
the creamy layer from quotas. However, the
decision would have come much earlier to avoid
the anxiety among those OBC students who are
standing a chance to get admitted in absence.
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Comments: |
I
was very happy to hear the verdict by the
Supreme Court. During the time when there was so
much strife within the student community about
the OBC quota last year, Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji
had said that he did not believe in quota system
and not to divide the country on the basis of
caste. I have great respect for him and his
wisdom. I truly believe that reformers like him
can make a difference to our country and not
politicians who only want to divide the country
for vote banks. - Ami Patel - Apr, 2, 3007
I agree with your point regarding
this topic. A group of people in our
society need assistance for their
upliftment, but they should be
identified in proper way. They
should be classified on the basis of
their economic condition rather than
their caste. - Amod Kumar - Apr,
5, 3007 |
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