05-28-2006, 09:27 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Reservation or retrogression? </b>
Pioner.com
Arun Nehru |
Politics is about creating 'vote-banks' and the 'reservation' game being played is essentially to divide the other backward classes (OBC) as also to check mate Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav in the Assembly election early next year. The battle of words has been going on for many months now. It is obvious from the way Mr Mulayam Singh and his family have been targeted along with Mr Amar Singh and his 'friends'.
Former Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, a close comrade of Mr Amar Singh, lost her membership of the Rajya Sabha, while industrialist Anil Ambani gave up the battle for the Mumbai and Delhi airports. The list is long but it seems that no one is prepared to fight a pitched political battle on the ground.
<b>Congress president Sonia Gandhi is simply not capable of this, while her son Rahul Gandhi seems reluctant to take charge of Uttar Pradesh. The intention, therefore, is to use Ms Mayawati and her Bahujan Samaj Party in some form or the other. There has always been an attempt to use the 'reservation' issue as a secret weapon against Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party.
In reality things have been quite to the contrary. Former Prime Minister VP Singh spent his entire career in the Congress, as has Union Human Resource Minister Arjun Singh. In 1990, Mr VP Singh, who was looking at garnering the minorities/OBC votes, tried to woo both; however, history bears witness that its benefits went to Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav in UP and Bihar.</b> <!--emo&
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It was the Yadav leaders who believed in Mandal and implemented it in their politics. Ironically, the Janata Dal(U) has Mr Sharad Yadav as the president. Both Mr VP Singh and Mr Arjun Singh have very little in common with OBC politics; they seem to realise its importance only before election. What is important to note is that 2006 is very different from 1990 and efforts to legislate or force industry chiefs to implement quotas and inflict institutes of higher learning with caste, will only bring negative results for the country.
I am truly amazed that those in senior positions in governance can make juvenile statements of creating increased seats in institutes as a solution, knowing full well that such additional facilities require a great deal of effort and time. Ms Sonia Gandhi, the power behind the chair , maintains a 'deafening' silence and perhaps those who demand 'justice' should appeal to 10, Janpath for action. Two members of the Knowledge Commission resigned recently and I feel they have done the right thing. After all, there is little time for logic in matters of political expediency. I sincerely hope, that no one is hurt in this confusion.
link
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Pioner.com
Arun Nehru |
Politics is about creating 'vote-banks' and the 'reservation' game being played is essentially to divide the other backward classes (OBC) as also to check mate Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav in the Assembly election early next year. The battle of words has been going on for many months now. It is obvious from the way Mr Mulayam Singh and his family have been targeted along with Mr Amar Singh and his 'friends'.
Former Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, a close comrade of Mr Amar Singh, lost her membership of the Rajya Sabha, while industrialist Anil Ambani gave up the battle for the Mumbai and Delhi airports. The list is long but it seems that no one is prepared to fight a pitched political battle on the ground.
<b>Congress president Sonia Gandhi is simply not capable of this, while her son Rahul Gandhi seems reluctant to take charge of Uttar Pradesh. The intention, therefore, is to use Ms Mayawati and her Bahujan Samaj Party in some form or the other. There has always been an attempt to use the 'reservation' issue as a secret weapon against Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party.
In reality things have been quite to the contrary. Former Prime Minister VP Singh spent his entire career in the Congress, as has Union Human Resource Minister Arjun Singh. In 1990, Mr VP Singh, who was looking at garnering the minorities/OBC votes, tried to woo both; however, history bears witness that its benefits went to Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav in UP and Bihar.</b> <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> It was the Yadav leaders who believed in Mandal and implemented it in their politics. Ironically, the Janata Dal(U) has Mr Sharad Yadav as the president. Both Mr VP Singh and Mr Arjun Singh have very little in common with OBC politics; they seem to realise its importance only before election. What is important to note is that 2006 is very different from 1990 and efforts to legislate or force industry chiefs to implement quotas and inflict institutes of higher learning with caste, will only bring negative results for the country.
I am truly amazed that those in senior positions in governance can make juvenile statements of creating increased seats in institutes as a solution, knowing full well that such additional facilities require a great deal of effort and time. Ms Sonia Gandhi, the power behind the chair , maintains a 'deafening' silence and perhaps those who demand 'justice' should appeal to 10, Janpath for action. Two members of the Knowledge Commission resigned recently and I feel they have done the right thing. After all, there is little time for logic in matters of political expediency. I sincerely hope, that no one is hurt in this confusion.
link
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