Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Gujjar agitation

The Gujjar agitation has shaken my faith in the reasonableness of our politicians and in the so-called unity of our nation. Reservation for the SCs and the STs was aimed at bringing the backward sections into the mainstream. But now it has become a tool to divide and destroy the country.

Noor Mohammad,
Gandhinagar

* * *

Gujjars might have been pacified by the promise of a committee to examine their demand for inclusion among the STs. But the issue is unlikely to die down soon. What was seen as a political masterstroke that weaned the community away from the Congress in the 2003 elections is now backfiring on the BJP. Similar is the case in Andhra Pradesh where the categorisation of SCs has become an issue. In both cases, State governments are not looking at resolving the issues. They want to keep the issues alive to please their vote banks. Innocent people and government properties become the casualty in the tussle between political parties and community leaders.

A. Bheema Rao,
Hyderabad

* * *

The end of the agitation is only a transient reprieve for the nation. Those responsible for the mayhem including Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and the Gujjar leaders are enjoying complete immunity for their actions.

M.T. Venkateswarulu,
Visakhapatnam

* * *

I agree that reservation as it exists pampers only the elite among the beneficiaries.

Should the children of highly placed officers, engineers, and doctors continue to get the benefits at the cost of their lesser-privileged brethren? The socially and educationally marginalised communities should get their share by some arrangement within the quota.

K. Soundravalli,
Chennai

* * *

The Supreme Court's decision to treat the violence caused by the Gujjar agitation as a national shame may not be a bad idea. But the judiciary seems to be inconsistent in its views with regard to social upheavals. From the yatras leading to the destruction of the Babri Masjid to the unfortunate events in Gujarat, damage to public property and loss of life have been numerous. Weren't they a national shame as well? What about the shame perpetrated on the nation by the naxals and communal elements not to mention the daily chaos in the hallowed precincts of Parliament?

It is becoming obvious from recent judicial interventions and pronouncements that the judiciary is rather selective in its posturing.

S. Immanuel,
Chennai

* * *

The Supreme Court's action of taking suo motu cognisance of the violence and issuing directions to the police in four States to file affidavits within 10 days is ironical. Sure, the police were guilty of non-performance. But similar is the case with respect to the judiciary that failed to take suo motu cognisance of the anti-Sikh riots and the Gujarat riots.

Ajit Singh Jatta,
New Delhi

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