Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Reservation issue

Amid protests by politicians against the Supreme Court's interim stay on 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher education, the editorial "Stoking the reservation fires" (April 2) is bold and deserves praise for putting forth an impartial view. As rightly pointed out, institutions such as IITs and IIMs should be maintained as islands of excellence uncompromised by any other consideration. It is true that reservation is a means to ensure social justice and equity. But unfortunately, it has landed in the hands of politicians who use it to create divisions in society. The state should ensure the social and educational progress of the backward sections, but not at the cost of merit.

J.P. Reddy,
Nalgonda

The suggestion that the centres of excellence need to be preserved implies that the increase in the intake of OBC students may affect their character adversely. When the entry of SC and ST candidates has not resulted in any such adverse outcome, there is no basis to fear that the entry of OBCs will do so. If the centres of excellence remain beyond the reach of the underprivileged sections forever, how can we ensure equitable distribution of excellence?

Shahabuddin Nadeem,
Bangalore

The government should exclude the creamy layer of all sections and bring the weak and poor from the forward classes too under reservation. And every system should be reviewed at least every 10 years. Caste-based reservation, in its present form, has turned out to be counterproductive.

Alex Andrews George,
Alappuzha

The biggest hurdle to the social empowerment of the really backward and the reason for the perpetuation of reservation is the creamy layer. One can see proof of this in Tamil Nadu medical college admissions. The creamy layer has not only displaced the deserving from their communities but also outperformed the forward caste candidates in the open category. Excluding it from reservation alone will restore sanity to the reservation exercise.

C. Venkatagiri,

Austin, Texas
A tragic stage has been reached where it is the state's policy to give preference to children whose fathers and grandfathers are doctors, and who go to high-end schools by chauffer-driven cars, but are given preference because they are born in a backward community. The political class has no compunctions about supporting such powerful forces to the detriment of the less fortunate among the OBCs. Kerala even passed a law saying there is no creamy layer among the backward classes in the State.

K. Anil,
Palakkad

True, the forward castes suppressed the backward years ago. But it was due to lack of awareness. Now that we are well aware of the consequences of the caste system, we should adopt a mature approach to the issue. We must certainly not let history repeat itself by suppressing a section.

Shekhar Suman,
Jaipur

Politicians often say the law should take its own course. Then why do they want to circumvent the court order through legislation? If reserved categories have proved their merit, why continue with reservation? If the deserving will edge the creamy layer out in course of time, why not hasten the process of identifying them and extend the benefits to them?

Shalivahan Sharangpani,
Boston, Massachusetts

Only the other day, the Tamil Nadu Government called for a bandh to protest the Supreme Court order and now Andhra Pradesh has followed suit. One wonders whether anywhere else in the world elected governments, responsible for ensuring law and order, sponsor bandhs against the order of another constitutional authority.

D.V.V.S. Murty,
Hyderabad

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