Democracy in third world countries is like a mirage. There is less of governance and more of bartering and power brokering. Every five years we elect a government and even before the cheers die down the new party is already busy with its shenanigans. In its myopic wisdom the new party knows that it has roughly five years to make or break this country. Unfortunately, it chooses to opt for the latter just to occupy the seat of power just that bit longer knowing fully well the damage its actions can cause to the slender thread of our society. The electorate is finding it increasingly difficult to vote for a party that can give us a stable government devoid of appeasement to any religion, community, or caste.
Every party that has come to power, since independence, has made a mockery of the dreams and aspirations of the electorate that has brought it to power, yet it never learns from its own mistakes or the mistakes of the previous incumbent. The lure of power is so great that the politicians will do anything to grab it. The intoxication of being in power is so absolute that the same politicians will kill their mothers to cling to it. The philosophy is simple – if you do not have power do everything in your capacity to grab it. Once there, cling on to it like a leach. The honest voter can hang himself for all they care. Our country is slowly acquiring the symptoms of a banana republic, thanks to the jokers we have at the centre. What the common man wants is a stable, secular, progressive, and impartial government. Is that asking for the moon?
In a long list of misgovernance, Reservation Quota stands out as the most ingenious method of dividing this country – and we keep harping that it was the British that divided our lovely country. The commissions that were formed to look into the feasibility of reservations to lower castes were doing so at the behest of the ruling party, they also included vested interests who saw it as a golden goose that could help realise their political ambitions.
Why can’t the politicians think of any other way to help the downtrodden without robbing away a seat or a job from a more deserving meritorious candidate? Surely, there are other avenues like providing scholarships to less endowed sections in society to help them purchase text books, pay tuition and exam fees, waive admission fee, etc, so they can have a chance to compete with others on equal terms.
In many institutions, the process starts with declaring a reservation student as passed even if that person happens to secure less marks than the minimum required for a pass – advantage 1. When all other deserving students are struggling to get admission, the reservation candidate secures admission in a prestigious educational institution on the strength of his caste (which happens to be lower) – advantage 2. After completion of studies job hunting begins and when again deserving candidates with more marks are struggling to get a job, our friend the quota candidate pockets a cushy job ahead of merit candidates – advantage 3. Soon, it’s time for promotions and our friend the ‘quota candidate’ pips others in departmental promotions too and gets ahead of a more deserving candidate for the post – advantage 4. This is not the end; the ‘quota candidate’ can rise through the hierarchy so fast with each out of turn promotion that he reaches the top in a very short span of time – advantage 5. Do the multiple anointments stop here? No such luck! This person who has reached a position of power can now very well see to it that his children go the best schools and colleges, compete with others on a level playing ground. One would believe they are well prepared to tackle the best, but then, one would be totally wrong to believe that. Again, the caste plays a vital role and the children emulate their parents in their career journey – advantages 1to 5 multiplied by the number of children he has, and frankly it doesn’t end there either. Imagine the injustice suffered by many deserving candidates at every level as our ‘quota candidate’ makes his career journey. This is the frightening scenario in the case of one candidate. Now, imagine the 49.5 percent quota that the government is toying with.
The Atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are nothing in comparison to the bomb the present government is likely to drop in the near future. The atom bombs killed many people over a period of time due to the radiation burns. The Reservation Bomb is similar to the Hiroshima bomb but on a much larger scale. The tragedy is that it is being used by a government on its own people. Millions will be affected by the government’s new reservation policy over a much longer period of time. It will cause great mental scars on impressionable young minds that not even time can heal.
Every time our country takes a positive step in the right direction, our inimitable politicians see to it that it takes two steps in the wrong direction. Reservation quota is like taking one giant leap to the times of Manu. Justice not only must be done, but it also must seem to have been done. Our young bright students are learning the hard way that they can expect neither. If our great country splits eventually on the lines of caste, community, or religion in the next twenty years will Mandal (dead anyway) or VP Singh (almost there) or Arjun Singh (already showing symptoms of senility) come forward and accept responsibility for splitting the nation because of their nefarious schemes.
Let us examine what a former director of IIT Kharagpur, Kasturi Lal Chopra, has to say about it:
“We have relaxed rules for them and have special coaching classes. But this is not helping; they are barely able to clear their examinations. They finish the four-year course in seven to eight years.” It is not that people from the SCs, STs, or Minorities are not as capable. It is just that those who benefit from the quota system are not as good - which is natural!
I will leave it to your imagination what would happen if these students ultimately graduate from IITs/IIMs and run our organisations and industries. We just can’t compromise on quality of leadership for the sake of vague social upliftment programs, that are neither consistent in their definitions nor approach, and bring the whole house down.
Here’s what Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi of BJP has to say “India has world-class merit, especially in science and technology, but the UPA’s reservation proposals, which are nothing but manifestation of the Congress-led government’s ’great’ appeasement policy, will just damage India’s reputation as a talent hub and discourage merit.’’
Even many self-respecting people from the Muslim minority feel that reservation is more a stigma than a boon for them. As a self respecting Muslim myself I want my children to study hard and compete with the best and not look for government’s largesse.
Continued in Comments Section.