Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Quota issue

This refers to the Centre's assurance that it will soon come out with a mechanism on the quota issue that will protect the interests of all sections. A policy is determined by Parliament and we have to abide by its decision. Doctors are well educated, command the respect of all the citizens, and contribute to the health of the nation. We expect them to show their displeasure in a peaceful and disciplined manner. They are not expected to take out processions and clash with the police.

If the medicos agitating against proposed reservation for OBCs in Central institutions believe suspending OPD facilities and emergency services is the panacea for all evils, they are mistaken. They will only end up losing the goodwill of the poor.

A.S. Rao,
Bangalore

* * *

The media are giving unnecessary coverage to the medical students' and resident doctors' strike against reservation. How many of them have protested the capitation fee system in private professional colleges, which promotes backdoor entry of the privileged class?

How many come from rural areas? And how many have cleared their entrance examinations without the assistance of coaching institutions?

Eldho Mathews,
New Delhi

* * *

It is disheartening to see men and women in white uniform agitating on the streets, opposing a move by the government that will help the downtrodden in the long run. Never in the history of independent India have they come to the streets, be it against corruption, lack of ethics in their own field, communalism, lack of infrastructure, and so on. The merit-oriented elites should learn to live with the larger India and help build a strong nation. What if OBCs and Dalits working in the hospitals across the country go on an agitation in support of quotas?

N. Divakara,
Mysore

* * *

There may be hundreds of reasons for reservation and hundreds against. But is it difficult to sit together and sort out the issue without resorting to an agitation causing inconvenience to the common man?

Amrit Nair,
Neyveli, T.N.

* * *

In a democracy, everyone has a right to protest peacefully. Medical students were also exercising their right in Mumbai when the police lathicharged them. Was it necessary to beat them up for opposing the Government's decision? Forceful restraint is not the way to solve the burning issue of reservation. When there is a pronounced anti-reservation sentiment in the country, there is definitely a need to review the policy.

Amit Kumar Mishra,
Baghmara, Meghalaya

* * *

The cartoonscape (May 16) says it all. Arjun Singh rejects a relook at the quota issue but cleverly and conveniently passes the buck to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The reservation issue is reaching a boiling point. The Prime Minister should come out with a clear statement on the Government's policy on the issue.

Col. C.V. Venugopalan (retd.),
Palakkad, Kerala

* * *

It is hoped that the Prime Minister will invite a cross-section of students for consultations before arriving at a decision. It is surprising that despite decades of the raging controversy, our politicians have done nothing to strengthen grass roots level education. We still have a massive dropout rate in primary schools. Reserving seats in higher education will not only prove futile but also make a mockery of our educational system in the absence of sound basic education.

V.S. Rajangam,
Coimbatore

* * *

As one who graduated from IIT, I found that the average performance of general and reserved category students was the same in the institute. It shows that in 5-6 hours of competitive examinations, no one can judge a candidate's skill. Merit in competition is a direct consequence of available resources and memorisation of concepts, easily provided by coaching centres in urban areas. By giving reservation to socially, economically, and educationally backward classes, we can secure their right to access higher education.

Sushil Patel,
Chitrakoot, U.P.

* * *

It would make more sense to waive fees for those who are capable rather than give seats to students who are not. Reservation is good up to the point where it does not seriously affect the prospects of meritorious students.

Tony Sebastian,
Kochi, Kerala

* * *

The Government has a golden opportunity to set right the half-a-century-old sham of reservation based on caste. Modern India cannot afford to be a divided society any longer. The only two classes that can be legitimately recognised in these times of globalisation are the haves and the have-nots. Reservation should be made available only to those below the poverty line, irrespective of caste and religion.

Rajesh Madhavan,
Chennai

* * *

No doubt some sections of society have been denied access to progress for centuries. Quota is possibly necessary to bring them on a par with others. It is the percentage of reservation that seems to be the problem. Merit takes a backseat when reservation is almost 50 per cent.

A relook at the percentage may be the answer.

D.K.S. Subrahmanyam,
Pondicherry

* * *

Reservation is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end, which is the establishment of an equitable society.

The present turn of events can be attributed to the quantum of proposed reservation, which would add up to a staggering 50 per cent, and the indifferent attitude of the HRD Minister.

V.S. Arun,
Thiruvananthapuram

* * *

Reservation by itself is not unwelcome. But its implementation is more important. One suggestion is: increase the number of seats in professional institutions, corresponding to the percentage of reservation. It will ensure that meritorious candidates are not affected.

C. Shankar,
Bangalore

* * *

A discussion on reservation must take into account the constitutional guarantees for the oppressed classes, the transformation reservation is expected to bring, and the political motives behind such legislation. Do such provisions transform a community as a whole?

Do the beneficiaries of reservation take responsibility for the development of their brethren? Let us not adopt a bandaid policy of reservation in higher education when radical surgery at the primary level is pending.

Dheeraj Kattula,
Vellore, T.N.

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