07-17-2006, 11:08 AM
<b>No quotas please, says this OBC</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Over the years, I have reflected on this issue and stuck to my original opinion. The proposed 27 per cent quota for the OBC castes is going to be harmful to our society. Worse, it is not going to benefit the genuinely needy and deserving backward castes. The way in which the OBC quotas are being implemented in some states is nothing short of a fraud. In most states the dominant castes have manipulated the system to hijack the benefits for themselves. <b>How can one justify the Jats being included among OBCs ? They are substantial landowners, wealthy, politically powerful, and not backward</b>.
Similarly,<b> the Marathas in Maharashtra have cleverly included themselves in the OBC category by playing with the Kunabi-Maratha dichotomy. In the thirties, the Kunabis of western Maharashtra gave up Kunabi identity and claimed to be Marathas, which denoted a higher social status. Under the Mandal scheme, the Kunabis are listed as OBC but not the Marathas</b>. Now all Marathas are claiming to be Kunabis to derive the benefits of quotas. The Marathas have outwitted the Mandal Commission. They have the best of both the worlds â the benefits of backwardness as well as dominance. There are many such cases in other states. The advocates of OBC quota, however, never mention these blatant anomalies, nor do they take seriously the issue of âcreamy layerâ.
Everyone knows that our politicians are supporting OBC quotas not because they care for the well-being of OBCs but because they expect electoral gains through this gimmick. However, as in the case of V P Singh, they are in for disappointment. They are not likely to get the votes they expect. You cannot fool the people all the time. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Similarly,<b> the Marathas in Maharashtra have cleverly included themselves in the OBC category by playing with the Kunabi-Maratha dichotomy. In the thirties, the Kunabis of western Maharashtra gave up Kunabi identity and claimed to be Marathas, which denoted a higher social status. Under the Mandal scheme, the Kunabis are listed as OBC but not the Marathas</b>. Now all Marathas are claiming to be Kunabis to derive the benefits of quotas. The Marathas have outwitted the Mandal Commission. They have the best of both the worlds â the benefits of backwardness as well as dominance. There are many such cases in other states. The advocates of OBC quota, however, never mention these blatant anomalies, nor do they take seriously the issue of âcreamy layerâ.
Everyone knows that our politicians are supporting OBC quotas not because they care for the well-being of OBCs but because they expect electoral gains through this gimmick. However, as in the case of V P Singh, they are in for disappointment. They are not likely to get the votes they expect. You cannot fool the people all the time. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->