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Political Notes |
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Politics of reservation
Even as all the political parties vie for the Dalit vote in the assembly elections, one thing is clear that an easy way is sought to be found by dangling the carrot of reservations. Congress Chief Ministers like Ajit Jogi of Chhattisgarh and Digvijay Singh of Madhya Pradesh have been trying to woo the dalits, not by providing more opportunities in education or unemployment but by promising quotas. Whatever may have been Digvijay Singh’s motive in organizing a conference of Dalit intellectuals in Bhopal recently, it brought to the fore some of the lesser known aspects of the affirmative policy the state has been following in ameliorating the condition of Dalits.
Singh‘s pointed question why during the 50 years of independence, there has been not a single case of a Dalit billionaire ,businessman or industrialist ,exposed the limitations of the reservation policy. Of course, there is a sizeable section of first and second generation beneficiaries who are even in a position to fund a political party like the Bahujan Samaj Party. But with the state withdrawing itself from more and more sectors of the economy and the government putting a cap on new appointments, there is growing realization among Dalits that they can no longer depend on reservation.
Significantly, the Bhopal Document that emerged from the conference demanded state intervention to extend the reservation in the private sector. IT is not a new idea as the Mandal Commission had also recommended such a step. As the document points out, the representation of Dalits in the private sector is measly compared to the US where the private companies promote the principle of “equal opportunity for all” and have given adequate representation to the minorities.
Even if the private sector is forced to concede the demand for reservation, which is contrary to the principles that govern market forces, only a small fraction of Dalits will be benefited .An overwhelming majority of the Dalit population will remain where they are today -engaged in caste-related professions and on the margins of society .Since they do not enjoy the benefits of a level-playing field, they will remain deprived of equal opportunities and will not be able to advance in life.
Andhra Pradesh : Naxalite group offers talks with Govt
he Peoples War Group has come forward with an ‘unconditional offer’ for talks with the government. The government has reacted cautiously but positively, saying that it would examine the issue. According to Andhra Pradesh Home Minister T. Devender Goud the Government would examine the offer in depth before coming out with a reaction. He said the government needs to study the contents of the offer. This was, however, a positive development, he added. The government had on many occasions appealed to the Naxalites for talks and the issue was even debated in the Assembly.
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