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Review reservation

The trouble that started in Rajasthan has assumed the proportion of a national issue. Perhaps, this should serve as an eye-opener to governments and make them realise that the reservation policy in its present form is flawed and does not trickle down to the poorest of the poor.

J.N. Mahanty,
Puri

The Gujjar agitation is a lesson for the protagonists of caste and religion-based reservation. No government will dare to remove any caste from the reservation list even after 1000 years, and even after the so-called backward communities become economically most forward.

K.R. Viswanathan Pillai,
Chennai

In a democratic country like India, it is difficult to exclude a caste from the ambit of reservation due to fear of political loss. If the demand of one group to be included in a particular list is fulfilled, many others will come up with similar demands.

It is time to freeze the number of reserved castes for an indefinite period so that inclusion will not be promised. Nor will the people demand it in future. Secondly, if the government can determine through a commission or study that a particular caste in a category is not allowing the benefits of reservation to reach the lower strata, it should initiate the process of excluding the creamy caste from the category. Thirdly, the creamy layer among SCs and STs should be identified and excluded.

Indravir Kumar,
New Delhi

The basic question that needs to be answered is: how are we going to end the quota for the uplifted sections? And how long will uplift take for groups such as Meenas who have already reaped rich benefits in the last 57 years? It is easy to arrive at a time frame with respect to individuals. But caste groups can never be declared uplifted because they are called backward and will perhaps remain thus. In other words, they are permanent vote-banks. Our politicians are riding the quota tiger. Can they ever dismount?

Deepa Iyer,
Junagadh

There seems to be no easy solution to the reservation-based conflicts in and around Rajasthan. The most frightful part is that perhaps no solution will ensure permanent peace. There will be similar conflicts all over the country.

It is time we ended caste-based reservation. But this is asking for the moon. Politicians benefit only if caste wars keep simmering.

Balvinder Singh,
Chandigarh

The scale of the Gujjar agitation shows how powerful, resourceful and organised the Gujjars are. I can imagine how hopeless it would be for the Scheduled Tribes hailing from the hills in the Northeast to compete against persons from such communities in educational institutions and government jobs.

Lianpu Tonsing Xikul,
New Delhi

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