Reservation or quota system?

 

The Reservation Policy/Affirmative Action Program, in one form or the other, is neither new nor unfamiliar to world community. It was the British Government in India, which conceived and initiated Reservation Policy in Indian soil, that too at a time, when the idea to uplift the suppressed sections of society (a development of post second World War Period) and to achieve equality through preferential treatment, was unknown to the whole world. On the contrary, at that time, discrimination, whether positive or otherwise, was considered to violate to the Principle of Equality. Even in USA, it started in the late sixties, when President Nixon thought of pursuing Affirmative Action Program to enable American Blacks, women and ethnic minorities to overcome their historic handicaps. What factors and circumstances, compelled the British to conceive and promulgate quota system, can be traced in the history of British rule in India.

In fact, it was not conceived so much out of concern for the downtrodden, as for balancing the power in such a way that could perpetuate British rule in India longer. In the beginning of the twentieth century, the policy of Reservation was started in the form of Communal Representation. Now in the form of quota system, it has become a ploy in the hands of politicians to garner votes.

Most of the people with rational mind think that Reservation Policy is based on wrong ethos. It distorts the basics of a democratic society. Irving Kristof has rightly commented that Democracy does not guarantee equality of conditions, it only guarantees equality of opportunity. If the Government of India sincerely wishes to uplift downtrodden, to move forward and make its place amongst the advanced nations of the world, it has first learn to treat all citizens equal and stop using these very nomenclatures like “Backwards”, “Scheduled”, “Underprivileged” or “Minorities” etc.

 

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