The notice issued by the Supreme Court to the Centre yesterday asking it to explain the rationale behind its classification of a mass of citizens as OBCs, and the President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's advice today to keep the creamy layer out of the purview of reservations, throws up an interesting question: have the protestors won the first round of the war—even if they lose the eventual battle?
With the SC threatening to slap contempt of court proceedings, the protestors are likely to call off their stir. But by keep their strike on all these days, despite the threats and the carrots, have the striking doctors and students succeeded in convincing the nation of the case against caste-based reservations?
Will the focus and singlemindedness of the medical fraternity in chasing their objective set the tone for all future mass protests? Who has succeeded in convincing you more of the case for and against reservation: an unrepentent government or the strikers?
No one has won the war of caste politics so far. All political parties have for sure lost this war irrespective of the fianl outcome of the SC decision. Since all have taken the same decision to support the quota system based on caste, no party would have gained any competitive advantage.
Now as far as doctors are concerned, the first battel has been won by them. But they have a long way to go before declaring their victory. They can be declared the winners only when quota system based on caste system is completely dismantled. This will not happen not only during our life time but for another hundred years. We need another Gandhi or a Vivekananda to bring such a change.
Yep….nobody has won the war. A former mayor of Mysore city was at my home today morning and she came up with a “nimmaMtaha buddhivaMtarella namma dEsha biTTu hOgtA iddarallappa !!!” comment. (On a side note, I am not all that smart !!!). And, my immediate response was “nimma Arjun Singh tarahadavariddare nAvinnEnu mADbEku aunty ?”. No, I am NOT blaming the government for MY actions, so I don’t want someone to go on a trajectory here. BUT, I bet a lot of people like me who don’t come under any class A,B,C,X, Y, Z have a reason to complain.
I can see that affirmitive action is dragged from the centre towards the “minority” corner in America. Even private sector seems to budge. And, that my dear friends, scares the hell out of me. If America can do it, so can India. Isn’t that our motto always ?
Ohoo…StudU you are byacku ( Mysoore allappa ) in CHURUMURI.
Neenilldhae Constructive criticism swalpa kaala ninthogithu
The medical fraternity has certainly succeeded in driving home its position to the TV-viewing middleclasses. By not buckling to the ridiculous threats to dismiss them or to force them out of their hostels, in forcing the government to announce a series of sweetners (increase in seats, etc), in forcing the government to set up an oversight committee, in getting the SC to issue a notice to the Centre, the doctors and students have ensured that Manmohan & Co do not have a free run. But if they decide to ignore the SC directive to get back to work, if they continue to ignore the plight of patients, they risk losing what little initiative they have gained, and they risk having motives attibuted to their cussed refusal to obey the law.
guru prakAsha, thanks kaNamma…..I missed ‘churumuri’ too and believe me the first thing I did agter coming to Mysore was to eat the REAL ‘churumuri’.
I am planning to update my blog with my Mysore experiences (I don’t link into my blog from here ). There are too many things to write about from the non-stop growth of the city to the felling of numerous trees to the really neat directions and boards they have put up to the atrocious addiction to ‘mukta’, ‘preeti illada mEle’, ‘guptagAmini’, ‘maneyoMdu mUru bAgilu’, ‘silli lalli’ and waht not…..Let me send a note to KP and see if he is willing to publish it on ‘churumuri’.
Even SC seems has gone bonkers. First their Lordships said that we are only appealing and not passing orders. Next day they turn around and say face contempt! Who’s Contempt and who should face your contempt your Lordships? How will you identify contemptor? All who are not backward? Constitution originally contemplated reservation only for SC/ST and that too for 25 tears only. Does it mean Dr. Ambedkar (who is wrongly hailed as the architect of the Indian Constitution) was partial to his fellow SC/ST’s and did not perceive the need for reservation for BC’s in 1949? Does it mean after 56 years of self Rule we the Indians have created further down slide and created a new breed for reservation in BC . AD was understandable but BC !!! Oh! Christ , how far back can we go!!!