Poor Muslims should not fall in the trap of politicians in the name of reservations
Daya Sagar Sharma
November 03, 2008
A Look Through the Mist
The economically weaker Muslim, Christian and the Hindu will have to look for a new generation leadership. Otherwise the Politicians would keep on misusing the democratic system .Any reservations if kept for the Muslims or Christians on the basis of religion or by including them in the classes of SC/ST/OBC without reviewing the fate of reservation provisions already kept for SC/ST/OBC would surely do more damage to the interests of even the poor members of the Muslim or Christian society
An economist of the class of Man Mohan Singh should rather himself plead that with the growing cost of living and the growing competition for securing admissions to superior professional courses many economically weak people even from the unreserved castes / classes can not even afford coaching institutions to prepare for competing with the rich in the entrance examinations. A total review of system and approach is the immediate need.
The rising Cost of living is more due to (i) to variety utilities available around us (ii) the level of education required to earn wages worth availing the benefit of the increasing material utilities around (iii ) the government taking to more and more infrastructure development and imposing new range of taxes & levies to raise funds for same and (iv) urbanization requiring one to pay for the services like drinking water & disposal of household waste. Hence unless one increases his capabilities for earning more and more out of the services rendered by him , one can not move from socially and educationally backward class to the so called commonly understood forward class. Rather even those in forward class would move to backward class arena if the resources are not sufficient for increasing the earning capabilities of the generations to follow.
It is the quality of education that could make one to obtain more price for the services one could render. Service could be in a self trading unit, it could be in government or in a private company. The economic level has much to do with improving social status of a family. Better the social status of an individual or a family better are the chances for active participation in the programmes of a democratic system. Hence a good government has to see that those who today are socially depressed or backward are properly supported through social security laws as well as direct or indirect economic support .It was for this reason that the provision of reservations had been kept in the Indian Constitution. No doubt while keeping the reservation provisions in the constitution of India social and educational backwardness was kept the basis The educational and social backwardness results out of prolonged economic backwardness. By nature some economically & educationally better members of a society neglect the weaker persons . Rejected and exploited for their socio economic weakness many backward people take to menial service job generation after generation. Examples could be well seen in the Hindu society in the name caste system. Culturally the Hindu the caste system is based on the Karma but the selfishness of the rich made it to look like being by birth. The Hindu remained ruled by the foreigners for about 1000 years in the recent past .History and definitions of the Hindu have been got written to their choice by rulers of foreign origin. The tailored history & literature has accused only the Hindu of rearing social discriminations through caste system..The British used this type of definition of caste system to even fragment the Hindu society.
The Muslims and the Christians boasted that they have no social discriminations since they themselves prop their weaker members. Hence no caste from amongst them was included in the list of Schedule Castes while keeping 15 % reservation through Indian Constitution even in Legislature. The weak amongst the SC / ST is still banking on reservations even after extension of reservation provision of 10 years to 60 years. The rich , irrespective of caste and sect , is ensuring through tuition and coaching firm grip on superior professional courses and appointments to superior positions in civil / private sector services . The politician is gaining strength by dividing even the educationally / socially backward castes / tribes into backward and other backward classes .
And to add to all this these days a race has been set amongst the sects & communities to get included in the list of backward classes for the purpose of securing preferential treatment .Those who were to get reservation for only 10 years still do not want to leave the same even after having set up industries or having risen to the post of IAS officer or to the level of a MLA/ MP/ Minister. Feeling the neglect the less resourceful from amongst the so called upper casteHindu are feeling discriminated . Many have started agitating against the reservation provisions. This way social irritants have rather further increased in the Hindu society.
And some more irritants are being added by the rich of the Muslim and Christians. They have started asking religion based reservations for the muslims and Christians. Political parties like Congress too are working to exploit the muslim voters through reservations.. But such acts and proposals will surely not help the Muslim/ Christian masses. Such proposals would surely create more bitterness amongst Hindu and Muslims & later on amongst Muslims and Christians.
In case the muslim leaders are truly sincere to their religion they must boldly accept that social discriminations naturally exist in any society , may it be of muslims or Christians. They should come forward to name the socially discriminated castes amongst the muslims/Christians .Government could include some of them in the list of schedule castes through constitutional amendment. Then quota for SC could be increased proportionately upwards from 15 to say 18 %.
This would be a permanent solution is still doubted .
The access to quality higher education is denied even to poor of those from SC/ ST resulting in the superior services remaining distant dreams. Better could be some economic classification and supports. But the economically and administratively rich amongst the SC/ST/OBC would not allow the norms like creamy layer to work effectively. There fore tet there be a national level debate on this. The economically weak from reserved castes as well as from un reserved category can not afford to even buy an application form for admission to a college. Even the charitable & institutions run by trusts sell the application forms for Rs. 500 to1000 and demand heavy admission fee.
The economically weak people from amongst the so called upper castes are going further weak educationally .Economic backwardness results in educational backwardness and that further results into administrative / participative backwardness .The general category Hindu families are being pushed to the wall . The times are not far when new socially and educationally backward castes would emerge from the so called forward castes .
The social and educational backwardness that required support through provisions like reservations in education/ services for ten years was assessed as only 22.5% in 1950s .It is disappointing that it has grown further.Now even Christians and Muslims have started asking for reservation. A section from amongst the Muslims & Christians says that their communities too have discriminations based on social backwardness amongst them like Hindu society . These leaders allege that it was wrong to not include some sects from amongst them in the socially and backward castes in 1950. The Muslims should not fall in the trap and should take lesson from the fate of the poor members of SC amongst the Hindu where all reservation benefits have been availed for 60 years by the rich of their castes..
It was the Rule of Raja V. P. Singh that brought into the lime light another term in the name of OTHER Backward Classes. The Hindu society was already under stress carrying accusations of discriminating against those members of Hindu society who were from socially and educationally backward groups. There was need to reason out why the social and educational backwardness percolated into more castes of Hindu society after independence? .Indian Politician simply wants to exploit the innocence of the common man. The common man if becomes educated, wise and socially competitive , then the politicians will be left with no one to be exploit for votes ?. The subsidies extended by the government in costs too had similar intentions and fate.
Apex Court has to go by the Constitution . The Constitutional amendments are made for satisfying only lusts for extracting the vote . Apex Court/ High Courts go helpless for quashing irrational acts of legislature as was the case with 93rd Constitutional amendment. The politician´s dishonesty will have to be fought in the streets of the villages and slums.
( Daya Sagar is social activist and leading scribe on Kashmir affairs dayasagr@yahoo.co.uk)
The economically weaker Muslim, Christian and the Hindu will have to look for a new generation leadership. Otherwise the Politicians would keep on misusing the democratic system .Any reservations if kept for the Muslims or Christians on the basis of religion or by including them in the classes of SC/ST/OBC without reviewing the fate of reservation provisions already kept for SC/ST/OBC would surely do more damage to the interests of even the poor members of the Muslim or Christian society
An economist of the class of Man Mohan Singh should rather himself plead that with the growing cost of living and the growing competition for securing admissions to superior professional courses many economically weak people even from the unreserved castes / classes can not even afford coaching institutions to prepare for competing with the rich in the entrance examinations. A total review of system and approach is the immediate need.
The rising Cost of living is more due to (i) to variety utilities available around us (ii) the level of education required to earn wages worth availing the benefit of the increasing material utilities around (iii ) the government taking to more and more infrastructure development and imposing new range of taxes & levies to raise funds for same and (iv) urbanization requiring one to pay for the services like drinking water & disposal of household waste. Hence unless one increases his capabilities for earning more and more out of the services rendered by him , one can not move from socially and educationally backward class to the so called commonly understood forward class. Rather even those in forward class would move to backward class arena if the resources are not sufficient for increasing the earning capabilities of the generations to follow.
It is the quality of education that could make one to obtain more price for the services one could render. Service could be in a self trading unit, it could be in government or in a private company. The economic level has much to do with improving social status of a family. Better the social status of an individual or a family better are the chances for active participation in the programmes of a democratic system. Hence a good government has to see that those who today are socially depressed or backward are properly supported through social security laws as well as direct or indirect economic support .It was for this reason that the provision of reservations had been kept in the Indian Constitution. No doubt while keeping the reservation provisions in the constitution of India social and educational backwardness was kept the basis The educational and social backwardness results out of prolonged economic backwardness. By nature some economically & educationally better members of a society neglect the weaker persons . Rejected and exploited for their socio economic weakness many backward people take to menial service job generation after generation. Examples could be well seen in the Hindu society in the name caste system. Culturally the Hindu the caste system is based on the Karma but the selfishness of the rich made it to look like being by birth. The Hindu remained ruled by the foreigners for about 1000 years in the recent past .History and definitions of the Hindu have been got written to their choice by rulers of foreign origin. The tailored history & literature has accused only the Hindu of rearing social discriminations through caste system..The British used this type of definition of caste system to even fragment the Hindu society.
The Muslims and the Christians boasted that they have no social discriminations since they themselves prop their weaker members. Hence no caste from amongst them was included in the list of Schedule Castes while keeping 15 % reservation through Indian Constitution even in Legislature. The weak amongst the SC / ST is still banking on reservations even after extension of reservation provision of 10 years to 60 years. The rich , irrespective of caste and sect , is ensuring through tuition and coaching firm grip on superior professional courses and appointments to superior positions in civil / private sector services . The politician is gaining strength by dividing even the educationally / socially backward castes / tribes into backward and other backward classes .
And to add to all this these days a race has been set amongst the sects & communities to get included in the list of backward classes for the purpose of securing preferential treatment .Those who were to get reservation for only 10 years still do not want to leave the same even after having set up industries or having risen to the post of IAS officer or to the level of a MLA/ MP/ Minister. Feeling the neglect the less resourceful from amongst the so called upper casteHindu are feeling discriminated . Many have started agitating against the reservation provisions. This way social irritants have rather further increased in the Hindu society.
And some more irritants are being added by the rich of the Muslim and Christians. They have started asking religion based reservations for the muslims and Christians. Political parties like Congress too are working to exploit the muslim voters through reservations.. But such acts and proposals will surely not help the Muslim/ Christian masses. Such proposals would surely create more bitterness amongst Hindu and Muslims & later on amongst Muslims and Christians.
In case the muslim leaders are truly sincere to their religion they must boldly accept that social discriminations naturally exist in any society , may it be of muslims or Christians. They should come forward to name the socially discriminated castes amongst the muslims/Christians .Government could include some of them in the list of schedule castes through constitutional amendment. Then quota for SC could be increased proportionately upwards from 15 to say 18 %.
This would be a permanent solution is still doubted .
The access to quality higher education is denied even to poor of those from SC/ ST resulting in the superior services remaining distant dreams. Better could be some economic classification and supports. But the economically and administratively rich amongst the SC/ST/OBC would not allow the norms like creamy layer to work effectively. There fore tet there be a national level debate on this. The economically weak from reserved castes as well as from un reserved category can not afford to even buy an application form for admission to a college. Even the charitable & institutions run by trusts sell the application forms for Rs. 500 to1000 and demand heavy admission fee.
The economically weak people from amongst the so called upper castes are going further weak educationally .Economic backwardness results in educational backwardness and that further results into administrative / participative backwardness .The general category Hindu families are being pushed to the wall . The times are not far when new socially and educationally backward castes would emerge from the so called forward castes .
The social and educational backwardness that required support through provisions like reservations in education/ services for ten years was assessed as only 22.5% in 1950s .It is disappointing that it has grown further.Now even Christians and Muslims have started asking for reservation. A section from amongst the Muslims & Christians says that their communities too have discriminations based on social backwardness amongst them like Hindu society . These leaders allege that it was wrong to not include some sects from amongst them in the socially and backward castes in 1950. The Muslims should not fall in the trap and should take lesson from the fate of the poor members of SC amongst the Hindu where all reservation benefits have been availed for 60 years by the rich of their castes..
It was the Rule of Raja V. P. Singh that brought into the lime light another term in the name of OTHER Backward Classes. The Hindu society was already under stress carrying accusations of discriminating against those members of Hindu society who were from socially and educationally backward groups. There was need to reason out why the social and educational backwardness percolated into more castes of Hindu society after independence? .Indian Politician simply wants to exploit the innocence of the common man. The common man if becomes educated, wise and socially competitive , then the politicians will be left with no one to be exploit for votes ?. The subsidies extended by the government in costs too had similar intentions and fate.
Apex Court has to go by the Constitution . The Constitutional amendments are made for satisfying only lusts for extracting the vote . Apex Court/ High Courts go helpless for quashing irrational acts of legislature as was the case with 93rd Constitutional amendment. The politician´s dishonesty will have to be fought in the streets of the villages and slums.
( Daya Sagar is social activist and leading scribe on Kashmir affairs dayasagr@yahoo.co.uk)
Print
Email
