Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Fallacious reasoning

The editorial has rightly pointed out that the medicos should call off their agitation. But the argument that an assurance from the Prime Minister is enough reason to do so is fallacious. The assurance was a knee-jerk reaction that came under pressure. Why should the Government not agree to set up a commission to look into the impact of quotas? Official indifference was also evident in the offer to increase the number of medical seats alone. It looks like the Government wants to wait and see if engineers can cause equal damage.

K. Saumya,
Mumbai

The remark that the strike is morally indefensible is shocking. The striking doctors are not fighting for their personal benefit but in the larger interest of the future generations. One wonders what the yardstick is for assessing morality.

A.T. Sankarshanan,
Chennai

The agitating doctors have exposed the politicians. They should continue with their protests peacefully until the Government gives a written assurance on the number of seats it proposes to increase in all Central universities and the time frame in which it intends to do so. Qualified doctors should resume work and leave the agitation to non-medical students, failing which anti-reservation groups may lose public sympathy.

A.S. Ramakrishnan,
Chennai

The editorial was disappointing. It is not just a strike by medicos but a popular movement supported by students, teachers, and various sections of society. It is continuing because the Government has only talked of increasing the number of medical seats. If it is serious about increasing seats in all institutes of higher learning, why does it not say so? The contention that a post-graduate degree is a must only for the medicos and hence the shrinking opportunities for engineering and other graduates is valid is beyond comprehension.

Mukund Prasad,
New Delhi

Caste-based reservation is of no use in the present set-up. Sixty years of reservation have only helped a certain section of society. There is a huge dropout rate at the primary school level. Secondary education does not encourage lateral thinking or out-of-the-box solutions. State-level education stresses on regional languages, which leaves a significant majority unable to compete on equal terms with its peers.

In this scenario what is more desirable? Reservation, which is a short-term solution, or revamp of the education system? If we don't oppose reservation now, the future will be bleak.

Abhishek Puri,
Patiala, Punjab

The editorial makes no mention of reservation for the economically backward among the forward castes. Every poor man in this country irrespective of caste and religion is deprived of education.

S. Gokul Srinivasan,
Chennai

If reservation is implemented in a hurry, the already scarce resources such as teaching facilities, staff requirements, additional hostels and allied manpower will be stretched beyond limits. If the past is anything to go by, it will reveal the glaring inadequacies of the policy, including non-utilisation and under-utilisation of quotas.

Vote-bank politics has gone on for too long. In our march towards a better future, it is imperative that issues such as reservation be debated well before pushing policies down the throats of the unwilling.

Rahul Bhatia,
Noida, U.P.

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