Author: Editorial
Publication: News Today
Date: July 1, 2008
URL: http://newstodaynet.com/newsindex.php?id=8795%20&%20section=13
In the farcical fight for quotas, the Christian
and Muslim minorities, instigated by the vote-chasing politicians, sought
a separate quota within the BC quota without any sensible thinking and analysis
and finally got what they wanted from the Tamilnadu government.
The State government promulgated an ordinance
for a quota of 3.5% each for Muslims and Christians within the existing 30%
for BCs on 15 September 2007.
Both the communities celebrated the Chief
Minister as the Champion of Social Justice and Saviour of Minorities and even
while the aggrieved BCs were fighting against the 'unconstitutional' ordinance
at the Court of Law.
Now after realising that the separate quota
has reduced their opportunities, the Christians are demanding the government
to withdraw the sub-quota and revert to the old system and the 'minority'
government has also agreed to it.
It will not take much time for the Muslims
also to make similar demands. This reversal of system might enlighten the
Hindu BCs to even change their litigation again and demand for the continuing
of separate quotas for minorities!
Earlier when the Supreme Court upheld the 27% reservation for OBCs in higher
education, it categorically said that the 'creamy layer' must be excluded
from the ambit of reservation. The OBC politicians and their rich ilk, who
have been the beneficiaries of the OBC reservation were taken aback. Expectedly,
they have influenced the National Commission for Backward Classes to conduct
a preposterous study and recommend for an increase in the ceiling of creamy
layer, which is likely to be Rs.5 Lakh from the present Rs.2.5 Lakh.
This increase in the income ceiling is bound
to arrest the opportunities for the intended section and will continue to
help only the elite and the rich in the OBCs.
As the Supreme Court has not specified the
ways and means of identifying the OBCs and fixing the income ceiling, the
ruling establishment is going ahead with its capricious way of playing vote
bank politics.
In the meantime, the HRD Minister, who has
been the cause of all confusion of the quota politics so far, has deliberately
instructed the elite higher education institutions to follow the reservation
system in the appointment of the faculties also.
These institutions have put in decades of
hard work and consistent efforts to reach this world-class status and this
one stroke of the cynical Minister will cause immense damage to the future
of the institution, faculties and the students.
The move to bring in 27% reservation and the
subsequent agitations have resulted in a division of students along caste
lines and the present order will have the same effect among the teachers too.
The teaching community has a vital role responsibility
to unite and integrate the students, guide and motivate them.
But, if the teachers themselves stand divided
along caste lines, then what will happen to the future of the students and
the standard of the institutions? The term 'higher' means superiority, elevation
and advancement and for that one needs to be 'meritorious' and those institutions,
which impart higher education need to have 'merit' as the criteria for admission
of students as well as teachers in the interests of the nation's progress.
On the one side, the primary and secondary
education is in doldrums due to deficiency in infrastructure and lack of focus
by the State and Central governments and on the other side, the higher education
is being destroyed by casteism and quota politics.
It has come to such a stage that, if a community
wants to have its say, it can bring the whole nation to a standstill, as evidenced
by the recent Gujjar agitations, which has made even the so-called forward
community to start agitating for quotas!
The creator of Mandal-II fracas, Arjun Singh,
who is an embodiment of cynicism and irresponsibility, has undermined the
progress of the nation in the last two decades after the Mandal-I calamity
and has further devastated it in the name of the so-called social justice.
One wonders why the National Knowledge Commission
was instituted in the first place, if it is not going to be recognised and
respected!
When a nation has no respect for 'merit',
when sections desire beyond their abilities and aptitude and when the state
indulges to promote such sections through undeserved means instead of taking
care of them in a proper manner, the path of progress gets mired in controversies
and catastrophe, resulting in a moribund situation.
That is what is happening now in India. The
political class will certainly refuse to understand this and the need of the
hour is that the people understand this and have a change of mindset for progress
and prosperity!
