This seat is reserved... and not for you

Reservations in education & jobs. Haven’t we all heard of this a decade and a half ago, and protested against the same vehemently? And isn’t this the very same issue that cost Rajiv Gandhi & the Congress the election in 1989? So, why is the Congress going ahead with this now? To understand this, one has to dwell into the past.

If memory serves me right, when Rajiv Gandhi was presented with the option of implementing the Mandal Commission report while still in office, his stance was that this would lead to dividing the country on the lines of caste, and he was totally opposed to the idea. He felt that after 40+ years of independence, India needed to look ahead and start becoming a power to contend with in the world. And this would not happen if we allowed undeserving candidates protection in securing education & jobs at the cost of bright youngsters who were more worthy of leading India into the 21st century. Truly, he did not understand the politics of the land (being a service class person himself till 1984, when he was suddenly forced to enter the political arena), and paid dearly by leading Congress to a historical poll rout. While the politics of Mandal & Kamandal led to the mass erosion of the Congress base of working classes and the underprivileged, Rajiv still refused to agree to reservations and did not use them in the polls of 1991 too. Sadly, the one man in politics who refused to play the communal card was assassinated, and since then the small regional parties (SP, BSP, JDU, et al), have continued to rule the roost by pandering to the emotions of the teeming masses who want a government job, but don’t want to work for the nation’s progress.

Coming back to the question, why is the Congress playing the same card that Rajiv opposed? And specially so given the fact that his wife, Sonia, is the supreme leader of not just the party, but the government itself, albeit without carrying any portfolio. My guess is as good as yours, and I feel that the Congress has realized that while in Rome (no pun intended with it being Italy’s capital), do as the Romans do.

I have been a supporter of most of Congress’ policies since BJP distanced itself from me post their mute-spectatorial support of Mandal, and moreso their stance on Swadeshi in ‘90s (though they are the ones who truly opened the economy after coming to power), but today I feel betrayed. Ignoring Rajiv’s vision, the Congress today is trying to implement the reservations not for the downtrodden but for its own good, demoralizing the bright youth of today, who are competing with global corporations and creating a name for India. Irony is, that it is only the doctors (and those too who already are admitted into their courses with a secure future), who are taking on the might of the government, with very little support from the engineering & the management students.

So, again, why does the Congress feel the need to do so? With it slowly but surely losing its mass base in UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan & Gujarat, which constitute almost half (if not more) of the Parliamentary seats, and with regional parties & BJP playing having with caste & religion, it does seem to have no option. It still calls itself a secular party and so cannot say things like we are committed to the development of the oppressed poor classes ala SP or BSP or JDU. That would make sure that the educated urbane would move away from them. Howsoever small in numbers they may be in the electoral battle, they constitute the enlightened few in this country, who are opinion makers. And every party that calls itself a national party needs them. The RJD or CPI/CPM in my mind are still regional players who find fervour in select states only, and hence they continue to play the game of masses versus classes. And they would love to distance themselves from the Congress the day they could cobble up a majority minus the BJP. Jayalalitha and Mamta Bannerjee, amongst many others, are known to change quickly like the ocean’s tides, and they would happily ally with anyone who would bring them to power. Which is why the Congress is forced to build a strong base for itself in the masses who vote. I, for one, am dead against it, and can only hope and pray that good sense prevails on everyone and it is the country’s progress which is considered ahead of every other consideration. For, a fast-growing nation creates opportunities, jobs, wealth and recognition for many, many more than a nation that likes to appease everyone and fail to please anyone.