Karthik's musings

Solving the reservation puzzle

A safe thumb rule is that if politicians of all parties say they agree on some thing, then that must be in their self-interest and in the interests of their vote banks. As a corollary, it would be against the interest of the society.

Itz very difficult to see how India can come out of the reservation imbroglio that the Congress has wrought on it. The vote bank politics has become so deep rooted in Indian politics today that no amount of protests will stir the politicians - whether itz by students against reservation, or by NBA against increasing the height of the SSP dam. Because the politicians know that the protesting masses will be in a minority and know the vote bank they need to woo. Saner voices - like that of Kapil Sibal and the Sam Pitroda - can be easily ignored or worse, criticized and stifled by the likes of Arjun Singh and Ram Vilas Paswan.

The only hope I see this time are the TV channels. The plethora of news channels - both in English and local language - have added a new avenue to the anti-reservation activists. The internet is also an active play-ground, but just like the IIPM issue - I dont think there will be much pressure because of the internet.

Itz nice to see Verghese Kurien come out against reservation. It would be interesting if some insider comes out with statistics on the percentage of first generation beneficiaries of reservation in the last 10 years. As my RVCE classmate Debashis Pal wrote in the Hindu Bussiness Line, most of the people today who are enjoying the benefit of reservation would be second generation beneficiaries - people who can very well do without reservation and people whose seats mean another really deserving person from the really unfortunate strata of the society is left out.

As the Mahatma had said, reservations act as crutches that would make people more crippled. I'm sure corporate India is strong enough to make sure that reservation in private sector will remain a non-starter. Not sure if academic India would be able to come out of the mess that Mr.Arjun Singh has put it in.

None can help you, help yourself; work out your own salvation.
-Swami Vivekananda