Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

On creamy layer

By insisting on reservation for the creamy layer, will not the government breed another class of economically backward community over a period of time?

Is it fair to create another set of OBCs by focussing so much on the creamy layer? The court is correct in pointing this out to the government.

Col. K.S. Rajamani (retd.),
Coimbatore

One must commend the court for contesting the crude caste determinism that has enthralled politicians and the media. By consistently asking for a clear set of criteria for inclusion in the OBC category, the judges are trying to steer politicians away from taking a deterministic position. And by reminding the government to take a second look at not just the number of OBCs but also the principle of identification, the court is doing democracy a great favour.

S. Hemavathi,
Salem

The `upper' caste people argue that the rich among the OBCs should be excluded from reservation to favour the poor among them. If the same yardstick were applied to the general category and reservation extended to the poor among the forward castes, it would make the selection system a mockery.

Only the poor among the SCs, STs, OBCs and forward castes will study in all institutions. They will be full of poor students, not meritorious students. The reservation policy is not meant for making the poor rich and elite by giving merit the go-by.

K.J. Nithianandam,
Chennai

If the creamy layer is excluded at the admission stage, it may result in a large number of seats remaining vacant what with unaffordability of the poorer OBC students to pay fees. This will defeat the very purpose of reservation.

The creamy layer consists of large sections, which may earn taxable income but are educationally backward and hence down on the social ladder.

S.A. Nasser Khan,
Chennai

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