The blogger is right: the chatterati is maintaining a disturbing silence over this. Even in this forum, which should have bee abuzz, there is not a single discussion. Not even the usual charge of 'state terrorism' is being thrown, in spite of the fact that dozens died in police firing in a BJP ruled (gasp!) state.
To me it looks more like the dog that didn't bark in the Sherlock Holmes story :) http://retributions.nationalinterest.in/blood-on-their-hands/ Blood on Their Hands<http://retributions.nationalinterest.in/blood-on-their-hands/> Filed Under Current Affairs<http://retributions.nationalinterest.in/category/current-affairs/>, Public Policy<http://retributions.nationalinterest.in/category/public-policy/>, Reservations<http://retributions.nationalinterest.in/category/public-policy/reservations/> *The false prophets of social justice are responsible for the mayhem in Rajasthan* In his latest column in the Indian Express, Pratap Bhanu Mehta opines that solving the Gurjjar crisis in Rajasthan would require a lot of "political imagination. <http://www.indianexpress.com/story/314823.html>" But where is the space for political maneuvering? The Vasundhara Raje government is caught in a bind of its own making<http://retributions.nationalinterest.in/the-rajasthan-caste-cauldron/>: If it recommends ST status for the Gurjjars, then the powerful Meena community, which has benefited disproportionately from reservations would rise in revolt; if it doesn't then Gurjjars, after upping the ante and suffering tremendously, are hardly likely to sue for peace. While lives continue to be lost in Rajasthan, the proponents of social justice are now where to be seen. No op-eds are being written; no angry denouncements of "Brahminical conspiracy' are forthcoming; and even the normally voluble politicians have gone silent. It is almost as the mayhem and violence in Rajasthan is not their business when in fact they are directly responsible for the civil war currently underway in Rajasthan and which, if immediate corrective measures are not taken, may be replicated across the length and breadth of the country. First, pro-reservationists have reduced social justice to a binary of reservations. Point out that reservations would benefit a minuscule number, and one immediately faces charges of being anti-backward. Talk about strengthening the primary education system which by government's own admission is in doldrums and grossly under-funded, and immediately one is accused of upholding the hegemony of privileged classes. Reservations have been projected as a magic pill, which would, by it self, solve the problem of social inequities. No wonder, Gurjjars are so adamant in demanding their share of the reservation pie. Their desperate is a direct result of the strident rhetoric of the pro-reservationists. Second, pro-reservationists have worked systematically to undermine accountability in the reservation system. As the government it self conceded in the Supreme Court, it had no data on OBCs-in fact, it wasn't even sure about the exact % of OBC's in the Indian population. Castes have been added to the OBC list based merely on political expediency (inclusion of the powerful Jats in Rajasthan-the real pivot behind Gurjjar agitation is a classical example) naturally edging out the really deprived. A system of accountability based on sociological surveys and real data, on the other hand, could have potentially excluded Meenas from the purview of reservations. Third, the incessant focus on reservations has undermined the role of good governance. The Gurjjars are not demanding better schools or improved infrastructure; all they want is guaranteed government jobs. No wonder, the Rajasthan government's gesture of a special package for Gurjjars with a substantial monetary outlay has been rejected out of hand. Why demand governance when reservations are supposed to solve every problem? It is still not too late. The political class should realize that reservations not only yield no electoral benefits but may be potentially counter-productive. It is hard to imagine how the Vasundhara Raje government would wriggle out of the current crisis in Rajasthan without alienating one or other of the major communities. Reservations can fray the delicate social fabric of India; if that is not a reason enough for the politicians and their intellectual backers then at least the instinct for self-preservation should guide them against perpetuating the culture of entitlement<http://offstumped.nationalinterest.in/>. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liberty, if it means anything, is the right to tell people what they don't want to hear. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
