Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Court is right

That the nation is above the vested interests of some is borne out brilliantly by the illustrious observations of the apex court. The reputation of the institutions of higher education rests on merit. It is unfortunate that after 60 years of independence, unending queues of communities are clamouring for the coveted backward status. Surely, the learned framers of our Constitution did not think of reservation as a permanent feature for the uplift of the underprivileged?

M. Siva Ram Prasad,
Visakhapatnam

A blanket 27 per cent reservation for OBCs will only help the already rich among them. That Parliament passed the law unanimously does not necessarily imply that all sections agree with its provisions. We did witness protests by students in AIIMS and IITs. There has to be a proper mechanism to identify the truly deserving OBCs (as well as non-OBCs). This can be evolved only on the basis of the latest data.

Murali Sampath,
Swedesboro, New Jersey

While it is a fact that untouchability practised in the past cast a social stigma on the SCs and the STs, no such thing happened to the OBCs who are economically and politically powerful. What a responsible government should do is to work for the uplift of its citizens irrespective of their caste and creed.

P.V. Chandrasekharan,
Tiruchi

The order is a severe blow to vote bank politics. Instead of widening reservation, the government should strive to achieve 100 per cent literacy in all States.

C.R.S. Raju,
Tadipatri

The court has provided a guideline to prevent misuse of power by legislators. It is embarrassing to see the creamy layers of society claiming to be OBCs and pitching for more advantages.

S.N. Murali,
Bangalore

Reservation should be seen as a means to help people overcome their initial historical disadvantage. It cannot be extended to one at every stage of life and career. Stretching it too far will only generate bitterness and animosity in society, which will cause immense harm to the nation.

A. Ramachandran,
Kochi

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Stoking the reservation fires
A remarkable turnaround
Judicial activism and democracy
A balancing game played out every day
Maharashtra resorts to another ban
When everything is outsourced, what is left?
Doing business, with help from millions of friends
Falklands lure new breed of tourists
Surprising
Absence of data
Court is right
Parties' reaction

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu