Poor Suffer Brunt of Caste based Reservation

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Poor Suffer Brunt of Caste based Reservation

Pooja Sharma

The Indian constitution has envisaged secular and casteless society as it provides right to equality without considering caste, gender and religion. The reservation policy is against the principle of social justice and equality. Our leaders had made a provision of reservation for ten years but the caste based reservation has not been stopped even after sixty four years. Affluent families of reserved categories are benefiting whereas poor families are not getting benefit of this reservation policy. The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had written to chief ministers in a letter on June 27, 1961,”Following reservation is not only foolish but dangerous also.” Why mentality of affluent families of reserved categories is so mean that they are unable to digest the argument of extending reservation on economic status? Caste based reservation is pushing the country towards caste based conflicts and depriving the right to equality. Intelligent students of unreserved categories don’t get admission in professional courses despite getting good marks as compared to their counterparts belonging to affluent reserved categories. Reservation system should be abolished but if it has to be extended it should be on economic basis. The argument is that caste reservation benefit should not be extended to those sitting on high political and administrative posts as they don’t require reservation.             Other argument is that poor and helpless people of upper castes find themselves in a hapless condition but they are not extended reservation because of their upper castes. Many groups like Brahmin Sabha, Rajput Sabha, general categories, Karamchari Kalyan Sabha and others are raising the demand for reservation based on economic condition. It is also true that politicians will continue to utilize caste based reservation to achieve their political ends until unreserved categories untidily raise their demand for reservation based on economic condition.