HVK Archives: Suicidal policy
Suicidal policy - The Pioneer
The Editorial
()
3 September 1996
Title : Suicidal policy
Author : The Editorial
Publication : The Pioneer
Date : September 3, 1996
The reported move by the Janata Dal to enlarge the
Scheduled Caste reservation quota to include all non-
Hindu Dalits has disturbing implications for the already
fragmented social fabric of the country. In fact, the
party leadership's stated intention to do so in its
political resolution at the Janata Dal national executive
last Saturday not only betrays a cavalier disregard for
the widening caste divide but also has serious communal
undertones. Clearly, any talk today of bringing non-
Dalit Hindus under the reservation policy is basically
geared towards the Muslims. It is perhaps the only
religious community which remains out of the ambit of the
caste-based quota system now that even Dalit Christians
have been promised reservations. Such mindless expansion
of the quota system makes a mockery of the entire
rationale behind caste-based reservations. Indeed, far
from reforming Hindu society, a reservation policy which
intrudes into the Christian and Muslim communities
introduces new divisions in faiths which have consciously
eschewed the caste system and its attendant evils. As a
matter of fact, it is precisely this progressive feature
of both Christianity and Islam that has attracted so many
converts from Hindu lower castes over the centuries.
The proponents of the inclusion of non-Hindu Dalits in
the quota system argue that this is necessary because
prejudices against the lower castes prevail regardless of
religious creed. But while it is true that some
vestiges- of the Hindu caste system remain in other
communities as well, the arbitrary division of them into
Dalits and non-Dalits could end up imposing a caste
system, on faiths where none existed before. It is also
highly doubtful whether blanket reservations for this
rapidly expanding definition of Dalits would end social
oppression in the country. When the reservation policy
for Scheduled Castes and Tribes was enshrined in the
Constitution, it was envisaged for a limited period and
in the hope that along with other affirmative action it
would speedily transform hidebound Hindu society into a
modern, egalitarian one. Unfortunately, over the years,
caste-based reservations have lost their earlier purpose
and have instead become a weapon in the hands of an
unscrupulous political class to garner votes. In fact,
as the expansionist reservation policy underlines,
politicians have developed a vested interest in egging on
caste divisions to nurture their vote banks.
The other most worrisome aspect of the ever increasing
reservation quota is the ominous implication this has for
the progress and development of the country. Indeed,
with political parties turning to the quota system as a
universal antidote to all social evils and prejudices, it
could ultimately expand to preposterous proportions when
any question of merit or talent would become redundant.
A reservation policy which is stretched beyond limits may
not only be token and ineffective but downright suicidal.
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