Retributions  

Before we start, let us clarify that we place institutes like IITs, IIMs, IISc, AIIMS on a higher pedestal than the rest of the higher education system. Why? We refer to Hindu’s editorial-

Affirmative action and reservations do involve a lowering of the bar in the admissions process, and there are certain areas such as the defense services and higher specialties in medicine and engineering where it has always been recognised that academic merit alone should count to the exclusion of all other criteria. The IITs and the IIMs certainly belong to this critically important category and the larger public interest dictates that they take in the very best and train them to standards that are second to none internationally.

Btw, we wonder, why has no politician yet advocated reservations in armed forces? Is it because when it comes to protection of the politicians defense of the country, they only want first class?There has been three primary arguments on the blogsphere against reservations proposed by Arjun Singh-1. The primary education argument( Falstaff here)2. The economic argument(Atanu here)3. MeritSince no pro-reservation blogger has seriously refuted either the primary education or the economic argument, except perfunctory references like…yes it is ideal of course which we find meaningless, we shall confine ourself to the Merit argument. We hope that in part 1 we did manage to establish that some sort of merit does exist, if someone still does not want to get it, thats not our fault. We move on.We don’t believe that giving OBC reservations in higher education, with the exception of institutes of excellence would either ruin education or Brand India, some effect sure, drastic? No- a) Though merit is laudable, social justice is equally important. b) By accepting reservations for SC/STs we have already accepted this trade off between merit and social justice, backwards will do much better than Dalits (if folks here can’t accept it, then sorry).c) Not all schools are equally good, many private engineering schools are degree shops and if we can accept them, why not lower quality graduates from government schools especially if it helps in building a more inclusive India?So do we support the reservations in the present form as proposed by Arjun Singh? Hell no! Why?1. To give benefits to backwards first we have to identify them. Mandal commission submitted its report in 1980 and relied on census data of 1931 for its findings. Thats about 75 years! In this period many ‘’minor’’ changes have occurred, for one, India has become independent. Are we seriously arguing that the state of backward classes(Yes, Dilip, we noted its classes and not castes) has not changed at all in the last 75 years? Maybe we should go back to the British then! Also, do read this, by S.S gill, member secretary of the original Mandal commision. Anyway, according to National Sample survey 1999

Around 36 per cent of the country’s population is defined as belonging to the Other Backward Classes according to the National Sample Survey’s 1999-2000 round, and not 52 per cent as defined by the Mandal Commission…you exclude Muslim OBCs, the proportion falls to 32 per cent according to the NSS, 1999-2000. Indeed, Yogendra Yadav, professor at the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Studies, who is in favour of reservation for OBCs, agrees that there is no empirical basis to the Mandal figure: “It is a mythical construct based on reducing the number of SC/ST, Muslims and others and then arriving at a number.”

Now, do some people see the problem? We are talking of giving reservations when we are not even sure of the numbers which are touted!2. No one claims (not even CPI-M) that state of OBC is the same as Dalits. For example, in UP Jats are classified as backwards when they are among the largest land owning communities. Now under representation of a community is not a call for reservations unless it can be proved (a) historicaly they were discriminated against (b) that discrimination keeps them from competing with the rest of general class. Also, as Gill says in the piece linked above, benefits have bee extended to many new communities which were not recommended for inclusion by the original Mandal Commision. 3. Reservations have been in this country since independence. Our founding fathers, led by that giant among men, envisaged reservations for SC/STs (and not for backwards) only for the first 10 years after independece. Subsequnely, every 10 years we have extended reservations for SC/STs in the most perfunctory manner. The least which was required is a debate to see how much the reservation policy has benefited Dalits, if it has resulted in any improvement in their status and if any caste among them do not need the crutches of reservations anymore. Where is that study?Shivam links to India’s best columnist (his words not mine)

There are some 3.5 million Dalits in government jobs, about 125 MPs, and hundreds of MLAs. There are about 68,000 Dalits in Group A services

Great, We don’t dispute any of these figures. But what has been the opportunity cost of the same? Note, most of these Dalits are employed in the bloated government sector where economic rate of return is negative if you take out the oil companies. Could the same monies been invested in improving the primary education system? How has this middle class of 3.6 million influenced the 150 million other Dalits? Obviously, the intended purpose of reservation is to benefit few so that the trickle down effect improves the general lot of the community. Has it happened? I am not saying it has not, but if it has how about some proof? If 55 years of continuous reservation has not obviated the need for reservations for even a single Dalit, is that not a call for looking afresh at the reservation policy, a fine-tuning perhaps? 4. Now we are not naïve to claim that caste does not exist in India or reservations are solely responsible for caste consciousness, but surely it plays a role? Esepcially since every few years we seem to keep discovering new backward communities. After the violent protest about Mandal 1, people moved on. They accepted that nothing they would do would affect government policy. Fine, now reservations in government job is a non issue. Suddenly 15 years later the government discovers the need for reservation in higher education. Of course, people will protest! Now, are the protests justified are not is a different debate but what prevents the government from coming out with a clear cut policy, detailing the communities which need support, the extent of the support and the years after which the government will conduct a review. Now this too shall pass, but if two years later government decides to reserve jobs in private sector too, of course people will protest again. Why does the government has to keep stoking the fires? Why this ad hocism? 5. The most important question, when shall it end? Now since the government has not claimed otherwise, obviously the reservations are designed to end once we reach the tipping point. Have we reached that point in any state? According this report in Hindu (Link via Abi) out of roughly 1200 medical seats in Tamilnadu, the forward castes would get only 40! In our view, the least that calls for is a review of the existing reservation system. Has it happened? Forget about reducing reservations to Supreme Court mandated figure of 50%, TN has even refused to acknowledge the existence of a creamy layer. Now, let us point out, we have no problems if Dalits or Backwards occupy 100% seats in a particlaur exam, but not with the crutches of reservation. Reservations are designed to help you become competitive, not to give you an undue advantage which makes it impossible for a non-reserved person to compete with you. No?Quite obviously, communities which are extended reservation would be loath to give it up, should not we be more prudent in extending reservations then or evolve a mechanism to judge progress?6.. We can do no better than to quote Pratap Bhanu Mehta, by common consensus, one of India’s finest public intellectuals-

In order to blunt the backlash against reservation, the government is announcing that the number of seats will be increased so as not to reduce the number of seats available in the general category. This is, what might be called, a pure statistical approach to education: increase the number of seats by government fiat, pride yourself on achieving numerical targets without any concern for quality, and make education a totem to be thrown around in mass politics.

Of course, there are those who think that just because government funds higher education, it can do whatever it wishes with it. Perhaps they still think that money comes from RBI currency shops! That also explains why the government is so reluctant to raise tutions in institutes like IIT/IIMs, knowing fully well that with bank loans and an almost guaranteed job, even the poorest student does not need subsidies. So, without knowing who the benefiaries are going to be, the number of benefiaries, the past effect of reservations and the future consequences, the government embarks on a scheme and the other side expects us to support it? Of course if we don’t then we are elitist Brahmins!The current reservation policy highlights the whimsical manner of public policy making in India, where one unelectable politician’s personal agenda shapes policies, which would affect the very future of this country. In passing, we shall also address another issue raised by the other side…that reservations are required only for admission and all students who pass out of an institution are similar. Now this question has been raised before but no pro-reservation blogger has answered it-then what is the reason for job reservation? For example, to give the Civil services examination one atleast has to be a graduate, so why does the Dalit graduate need reservations? Or why do reservations in post graduate medical examination exist?As we have already admitted, merit has its limitations, but please stop being hypocritical about it. You cant eat the cake and keep it too! Obviously, the debate on the whole reservation issue has been very heated, and some anti reservation bloggers have clearly crossed the line. But what about the other side? With the exception of Abi and some extent Dilip, all we have noticed is self righteous anger, an extreme reluctance to rely on facts and figures and myriad conspiracy theories, as if the truth is so clear that those who cant see it must be blind, we wonder why did not our founding fathers see it? Anyway, we are curious and would like to ask one question? While the lack of Dalits/Backwards in private sector can be explained to the ‘’Giant Brahminical conspiracy’’ what explains the lack of any single leader of national stature among Dalits/Backwards? Ideally and we mean it, a Backward PM is long overdue, why has it not happened? Forget that, could any one give us an example of a single Dalit/Backward leader after Ambedkar who has commanded a pan Indian appeal in their own particular community? We don’t wish to rub it in, but even the two Mandal revolutions have been led by two forward leaders(whatever their motives)! Hint-In US while Hispanics constitute almost 12 % of the population and have many local mayors and senators, but among the real power elite-the 150 senators and governors there is only one Hispanic. When you appeal on narrow sectarian grounds(as BJP found out) you can only grow so far.We also find it amusing that everything is attributed to ‘’Manuwadi thoughts’’ or Brahmin dominance while a giant homogenous Bahujan samaj fights a rearguard battele.(read Shivams’ piece here). Seriously amused, because coming from those who claim to know the real India, that claim is absolutely untenable, we could point to overtures made by Maywati to upper castes in UP or how Laloo was overthrown by a combination of upper castes and the MBC or how neither Laloo and Mulayam nor Myawati and Mualaym can tolerate the sight of each other. However, India’s greatest columnist does this job wonderfully-

While Dwijas are faced with the freighting prospect of becoming politically irrelevant, Dalits are confronted with Shudras as their immediate tormentors, and hence, for their own reasons, Dalits and Dwijas are destined to form a common political coalition against marauding Shudras

Heh! We wonder why was this piece never linked to, perhaps shatters the myth of two straitjacketed Indias. And tells us the worst culprit is the caste system. While in the past(and still to some extent) forward castes were guilty of oppression of Dalits , the baton has now passed to the Backwards. So, we are not really sure, how perpetuating the caste system can ever solve any problems.Those who view everything from the prism of caste forget that caste was just a mean of oppression, the oppressors change, not the oppressed.So Shivam, can we please have a little less of constant frothing of the mouth which you subject the rest of us to? As if you know a secret which the rest of us don’t. While we are happy to know your secular outlook(Albert….) and your concern for the other India, please understand that we are also conerned about India, though admittedly not just about the other India, just that we do not agree with your methods. We conclude by pointing out that if ”thinking” of a subject was all that mattered then at least two things would have happened1.Garibi would have been hatofied long time back2. All Indians would expert in sex!Perhaps, a little more sleep might help.