The Reservation

Earlier the benefits reached only a few who not only took the repeated advantage but also were already well-bred and so a large number of the needy could get nothing except for a fake emotional satisfaction, as congress enticed the whole class of SC/ST into voting for them by providing jobs to only a few of them. Now PM Modi has been doing the opposite, trying to benefit the huge group of the real deprived. The ‘Stand-up India’ has done to get these disadvantaged to their feet.

आज कोई देश थोड़ा भी कमजोर है तो उसे हड़पने वाले बहुत हैं. सीरिया, इराक़, फ़िलिस्तीन, तिब्बत, ताइवान सहित चीन के इर्द-गिर्द तमाम सारे देशों का अस्तित्व ही ख़तरे में है | ड्रैगन की विस्तारवादी नीति से संपूर्ण एशिया आस्थिर है | तकनीकी विस्तार में होड़ लगी हुई है | सभी प्रभावशाली देश अपने प्रतिभाशाली नागरिकों को संरक्षित कर रहे हैं | भारत की प्रतिभा भेद-भाव वाले क़ानून से हतोत्साहित है | मुगल काल और अँग्रेज़ी हुकूमत में सबकी आवाज़ बन्द थी | आज नोचने के लिए सबको भारत माँ की हड्डी चाहिए - उसकी सेवा करने का कर्तव्य किसी का नहीं है | यदि ऐसा ही रहा तो जातीए घृणा फैलाने वाले लोग किसी गैर हिंदुस्तानियों की चुपचाप गुलामी कर रहे होंगे |

कॅंप्यूटर तकनीक में आई क्रांति ने पिछले कुछ दशकों से 60 से 70 प्रतिशत मानवीय मेहनत का अपहरण कर लिया है | और तो और कंप्यूटर से कंप्यूटर, मशीन से मशीन बन रहे हैं | कोई देश यदि चाहे भी तो इस व्यवस्था से बच नहीं सकता क्योंकि दुनिया के साथ चलना उसकी मजबूरी है | इसके विपरीत हमारे देश में पिछली सरकारों की कृपा से फर्जी डिग्री धारकों की लाइन लग गई है | अब नौकरी तो कोई भी सरकार क्यों न हो सबको दे नहीं सकती | ऐसे में आरक्षण धीरे-धीरे अर्थहीन हो रहा है | आगे चलकर यह किसी का कोई भला तो नहीं करेगा बल्कि राजनीति के पत्थर पर घिस कर वह हथियार बनेगा जिससे गृहयुद्ध होगा क्योंकि बढ़ती वेरोज़गारी की आग में यह घी का काम करेगा |

हिन्दुस्तान का समाज बदल गया है आरक्षण की वजह से नहीं बल्कि आर्थिक, सामाजिक बदलाव से | अब किसी विशेष जाति के लोग ग़रीब और पिछड़े नहीं हैं - अब हर जाति के लोग पिछड़े और अगड़े हैं | अब मजदूर अच्छी आमदनी करता है और बीटेक बाबू सड़क पर निठल्ले हैं | सरकार की प्राथमिकता ऐसे कमजोरों को सहयता देने की होनी चाहिए जो वाकई असहाय हैं न कि आरक्षण का ढोंग करने की | अब आरक्षण का मतलब किसी वर्ग को सहारा देना नहीं रह गया बल्कि अब यह उसके हाथ में एक चाकू बन गया है जिससे वह देश के लोगों को टुकड़े-टुकड़े में बाँटती है | अतः इस बहुमूल्य अस्त्र को राजनीति से अलग कर पाना लगभग असंभव हो गया है | फिर भी अगर सभी वर्ग आरक्षण की माँग करते हुए आंदोलन कर दें तो शायद सरकार झुक सकती है |

The world is running quite too fast and to keep pace with others, we need to be innovative, literate and free of orthodox sorts of things like caste, community and all that give rise to the divide politics. We need to discard all those who make a fool of the people by way of tempting them with freebies instead of sharing the resources of the country with them. We need to discard all those who make a show of the reservation instead of creating new jobs.

What the long reservation policy has given to the people I wonder. The policy of keeping a fixed number of jobs and places in certain institutions – for whom? Whether it is for these SC, ST and BC people. Certain political parties that have been cashing in on the divide between the different castes have never been concerned about the creation of new jobs and the growth of the national economy, and have never aimed to benefit the whole reserve categories. The reservation policy is effective only when there are chances for more jobs, more recourses and expansion of economy. The two parties ruling Uttar Pradesh for a long time talk high about the reservations and make it a tool for doing their politics, but since they have made the mess of the state’s economy, they are not in the position to recruit employees despite that there is a large number of vacancies in every department. Reservation stands when there are opportunities of jobs. They are making a fool of OBC, SC & ST. Above all, if there are chances for a few government recruitments, a ruling party always tries to recruit young men from a particular caste instead of from the whole deserving lot.

The private sugar mills in UP often defer payment for as long as possible, the sugarcane farmers are crying under the burden of increasing debt. A great number of SC and ST still need social justice. The majority of BC are still poverty stricken people. Generally, they are in low-paid jobs, pulling rickshaw or living as labourers. A good number of them are bound to move out and are slum-dwellers. The times have changed. The long term high-caste unemployed have also become a new underclass. The pool of people with a lower social and economic position has widened with the heavy inflow of unemployed people of all castes. Now castes do not make the upper and lower classes; instead, the political inheritance and the repeated benefits of reservation make high society and unemployment make low social class.

So how long will these two parties keep milking the state by alluring people with the bait of government employment? Do they think people do not understand that the economy of the province has now become so poor that they can seldom think for a fresh recruitment and if there is no recruitment, there is no room for reservation? Do they think people do not know that they simply talk big about the reservation instead of talking about all those things – like the economy and a corruption free system – that can make it implementable? Mind, you can no more use such false policies to beguile people into voting for you! Those who are ready to spend the resources on the unemployed youths and on the poor instead of helping all themselves will rule the state; those who make positive efforts to raise the state to a economic height will rule it; those who leave no stone unturned in the process of development and generation of new jobs will rule Uttar Pradesh.

We can also categorize the people of India into reserve class and general class. The reservation policy was meant to uplift the downtrodden. To a certain extent, it served the purpose but it has harmed the mindset of the class more than it did to improve their social conditions. Now they have started to have unrealistic expectations of the government, always waiting for subsidy and welfare schemes, and what is more, they have developed a natural hatred of the general class. On the contrary, the general class that knows that the government is not going to support them try to get things by fair or fouls means or by raising themselves to excellence or by doing hard labour. Reserve class always thinks what the government is going to give them rather than thinking what they are going to give to the country. A family that has availed of the reservation benefit should be put in general category so this benefit may cover the last person of the category. An industrialist eats not more than what a man eats; he cannot use more than a room or a bed; often he has not a large family. Yes, he lives a luxurious life and spends far more than an ordinary man but in return he works and worries day and night. He eats better and also feeds thousands of people. It is he who faces stiff competition from international rivals; it is he who creates job in the country; it is he who fills the treasury. An Indian capitalist never donates his wealth to a foreigner. Now those who hate capitalists try to think what they give to the country. If they are not provided jobs, they will die of unemployment.

It is master who exploits his workers, not man exploits man, nor does any community. A worker when he becomes master exploits other workers even in more cruel and inhuman way. Reservation policy was introduced to raise a crushed community to the level where it could live with equal status. It, however, never meant that the people of the privileged community start exploiting others out of vindictiveness. Anyone can observe how revengefully they behave the people of other community. It is obvious that they are often biased towards the people of their community and against the people of other community. Their breaths always smell of a sense of hatred for the then upper class. Very few of them seem to be loyal to the organisation in which they work, or to be more precise, most are not fearful of misappropriating funds. They pursue their own interests, exploiting their privileged potion. It is just one of the side-effects of democracy. Mother India is the mother of all her sons – they should not forget that they are thus making their enemies.

A nationalist eye evaluates the performance of a government and not the prejudiced eyes. Those who have had a government job through relaxations provided in reservation clauses are completely prejudiced in favour of the government that supports and talks high of the reservation. They will never oppose such a government, even if it were selling the country. A person who has enjoyed certain illegal privileges during the UPA Government will greet Congress with open arms, ignoring all the harms that it has caused to the country. A parasite never cares for its prey. Such people are traitors therefore need to be ruled with an iron hand instead of giving further benefits, or rather they should be treated as a general candidates so they do not block the way of the deprived brothers to take the benefit of the reservation.