Thinking Aloud!

 
Disclaimer: I am not from SC/ST/OBC and neither I
have any plans to go into politics and yes I am totally
against this 50 % reservation and I already have signed that
online petitions, joined the orkut groups against it,
written on blogs against it etc.etc.

Now after making my position clear on
this issue let me begin with the topic of this post…

First a few references:

Arjun Singh said that this decision has
got personal support of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Election commission has asked
clarifications from Arjun Singh/Govt about declaring this
reservation policy just before the assembly elections.
Details are

here.

Yesterday one congress spokesperson was
saying on tv “this issue has been given to cabinet for
discussion, so we can’t comment on it at this moment”.

President of st=”on”>India has asked to increase the total
number of seats in institutes so that general category
students are not affected.

Can you sense something fishy here?? Do
you notice none of them is saying anything about WHY this
decision was made or IS this the only way out??

What they all are discussing is why
this was taken just before the elections or who supports
this decision or how to avoid effect on general category
students. Does it mean that if this had been decided few
months ago, it would have been right??

Around 15 years ago VP Singh suddenly
decided to implement the recommendations of Mandal
Commission, although the report by commission was submitted
10 YEARS ago!!!

Also the report in itself was not about
reservations only but had many other recommendations for
enlistment of OBCs but VP Singh implemented only reservation
part.

Fast forward 15 years, suddenly
out-of-blue Arjun Singh realized that OBCs are not getting
into IITs and IIMs and voila! he declared the 50%
reservation scheme!!!

But I feel that mush more thought and
planning has gone into this decision and I also feel that
eventually this rule will stay here.

Before you start cursing me, let me
explain why I think this and though I may be wrong and maybe
some miracle will happen.

First of all, st=”on”>India is a democracy, so whatever the
masses will decide will be done. Its not the quality that
matter but its the quantity that counts. And of course so
many people will not support any absurd thing but if they
decide to do so, nobody can stop them. Now lets consider the
reservation issue. Everybody knows, its illogical but do you
think people from OBC will oppose it?? OK, few enlightened
ones will speak against it. But most will prefer to stay
quit for a while and then reap the benefits provided by
Arjun Singh.

The result: congress gains lakhs(or
maybe crores) of voters!

On the other side are the people
opposing this, thewy are justified and they will show their
protest by ever means available and will take the legal
course also.

The result: after few months of hue and
cry, everybody takes it for granted. And Congress loses few
thousand (or at most few lakh) votes!

The point no one from the general
public is looking at is the voting logistics behind all
this.

Tell me how many college going students
vote in elections?? That too from so-called upper-class?? At
least in my class only 5-6 (out of 60 people above 20 years
of age) voted in last elections!! And now give a look to
rural people, yesterday70% people voted in st=”on”>Assam elections that
too mostly from rural areas. In every elections you can see
the difference in voting percentage between the urban and
rural population.

So why should Congress or for that
matter any other party pay attention to our opposing?? Will
the signing of online-petitions and writing angry blogs and
forming orkut communities have any effect. Or will even
organizing demonstrations, boycotting classes for one day or
going to court will have any effect.

Political parties know that once the
rule is enacted, the protest will eventually die and they
can easily fight any legal battles. But when it comes to
elections people like you and me will prefer staying at home
rather than going to polling booth!! Who cares for such
people?? And when such a decision can get few quick votes,
why not try them??

So, do protest against this proposal in
every way that you can. But remember it wont fetch anything
much. What will really count is the numbers. So, if like me
you also haven’t got your voter card made, just leave your
Pc and get it made as soon as possible so that you can vote
in the next election. Or otherwise when you cant change the
system (and don’t want to do what is needed to do so) then
learn to live with the system.

We know reservations are bad but we
also know “licence raj” was bad and in spite of that Dhiru
Bhai Amabani made multi-billion Reliance during that time
only!! Maybe we can take some inspirations here….

P.S. A few related links:

A

brief history of Mandal.

News on this topic.

Why Arjun Singh did it.

Views of a member of original

Mandal commision.

 
posted by Sumit Tada @

8:38 AM

3 Comments:

 
MoonWalker said…

u knw sumit i hvae been so damn
agnry at this stuff!!its like I start boiling whenever i even read news
clippings..and also there is this major sense oh
helplessness cuz..wel you are rite and in my heart i knw
that all this protest is nt gonna do much!Till a few days back,sumit, it did not matter if the girl
sitting next to me was an sc/st/obc..but knw i just feel
like turning towrds her and slapping her real hard!

real real real hard!

yaar..look at this…I (and like me millions of others) have
been slogging for CAT/JEE..i mean rite now CAT is my life, i
mite make it/ mite nt but its so totally my life…and its
almost like someone almost sntaching away your biggest dream
from you..how can anyone do all this in the freaking name of
upliftment of a section of society..

Injustice angers me no end.It does!!

But then i do agree that I should vote..but tell me….who
do I vote for???

the guy with a criminal record of 30 rapes and 34 murders or
for the one with 27 rapes abd 44 mureders???

*deep deep sigh**

After feeling extremely angry..i have decided this…till
someime back I wud have been the last person who wud have
thot abt leaving INida to study /settle abroad..now that has
changed..and faith i had in the damn system in the
PM,President and the blah has vanished in thin air….

If i had a licened revolver I so seriously know wat I would
have done with it.

P.S. plz yeh padh karr darna mat..was just listening to the
news and hence n therfore was boiling…:D

 
10:10 AM, April 11, 2006


   

 
MoonWalker said…

okay..i think my comment is bigger
than ur post

 
10:10 AM, April 11, 2006


   

 
The_Girl_From_Ipanema said…

sumit,well put. voting apathy is an issue amongst our youth. did u
get your voters card made?aur meri s.o.h to yahin hai yaar, i can’t survive without
it. light post will see the light of the day soon. 

 
5:27 PM, April 11, 2006