The method used by the commission to calculate the number of OBCs is also dubious. National Sample Survey's 1999-2000 defined 36% of the population as OBCs, which falls to 32% when one excluded muslim OBCs. A further recommendation was made by a member which divided the OBCs into upper OBCs (Gujjar, Jats etc). It was therefore a concern of this good samaritan member that the more powerful sections of the OBCs will lap up all the benefits .
Also, the names that are listed in OBC lists have in many cases been already listed in that of SCs and STs. In case of West Bengal, Urao along with its synonyms has been listed in OBC (OBC No 176), but it has been also listed as Oraon in ST list (ST 33). Similar is the case with:- Kharia (ST 23, OBC 103 with the synonym Lodha), Kherwar ( OBC 107, ST 17 as Kharwar), Koda (OBC 113, ST 20 as Kora), Bhotia (OBC33 , ST 5 as Bhutia) and so on. Such examples are abundant. Not only have synonyms of OBCs been recorded as SC/ST and vice versa, but there are also manipulations like the same OBC names being listed multiple times in the list of the same state.
Taking the example of West Bengal again, many such STs are included which do not even belong to the state , e.g. Kuki (Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura), Lushai (Mizoram), Koli (Orissa, Rajasthan to Karnataka) etc. One can only guess the reason for such anomalies. Some OBC caste names are also obsolete of the forward castes. Tyagi, for instance, is included in upper caste and found in UP, Haryana and Delhi. Tyagi is the sanskritized form of Taga. But Taga is found in OBC list Haryana (OBC 74), Delhi (OBC 81) and UP (OBC 109).The most ridiculous thing is that Roman Catholic is not a religion but caste in the eyes of the commission (Latin Catholic OBC 106 Kerala), Anglo Indians as well (OBC 6, Kerala). The norms regarding Non-Hindu communities have been openly flouted like this, the reasons being too obvious. Although it has been decided at the outset that only occupational castes among the Muslims and Christians and the castes bearing the same name as a Hindu OBC or SC will be included as a Muslim or Christian OBC caste, the set rule was violated wherever political expediency dictated.
As a result of this caste based politics, merit has been nearly rendered irrelevant. One has to rise above the political correctness and be vocal about the fact that caste based reservations are a form of racial discrimination, a norm where inefficiency is awarded at the cost of efficiency.
Is there any way that the government can ensure that all these benefits are not lapped up by the more privileged sections of the "depressed" classes? The creamy layer is seen to have a stronghold over all this reservation business, and political class only supports them for garnering benefits during elections.
Without improving the standards of primary and secondary education, reserving seats for deprived classes in higher education institutes is meaningless. It will achieve nothing but instead will bring down the standard of these institutions.
Is it any justice that a deserving and not so financially well off person should be deprived of opportunity just because he happens to be in the open category?
Reservation has done nothing but made the wall between the castes higher, increased enmity between the castes and ensured that the gaps are never bridged and that the corrupt political class keeps on getting elected due to the divisions made by it.
How many scientists, engineers, professionals or sportsmen have been produced due to reservation? What great upliftment of that section of society has been achieved due to it?
It has achieved nothing but made freeloading a birthright for a large section of the society.
This can even prove detrimental to the economic well being of the county and discourage foreign investment. Six decades of reservation and one still sees that the reserved places are still not wholly utilized. More than 100000 government jobs in the reserved category remain vacant due to lack of suitable persons for the same. Any government cannot even think about filling them with people from the general category as it will surely ruin its chances in any subsequent elections. But they wont think of the fact that they might give more than 400000 other families a better chance of life.
Bluntly speaking, nobody from the so called upper classes is always well off, and nobody from the so called lower classes is always destitute. If a lower class person who roams around in cars gets the benefit of reservation over an upper class person who can barely make his ends meet just on the basis of caste, India is headed for social disintegration. If not now, then maybe after half a century.
We are already reaping rich benefits of this glorious social experiment. There is a whole bunch of political parties dedicated to the issue of reservations and depressed classes. Their agenda begins with reservation and ends with little anything else. They are not bothered about any other problems that India faces. India is my country only when I want reservations and I must get them. As for other problems that the country faces, let the evil Brahmans and devious Kshatriyas and greedy Vyshyas deal with them. So what if the champions of the poor dalits build statues and parks of themselves worth millions? So what if they hold lavish ceremonies all the time and collect "party funds" from people? So what if they fight on caste card, yet give the candidature to upper caste incumbents so that they can garner the votes from the same section of society they abuse and claim to fight?
Everyone wants their caste to be included in this section now. Many dominant castes have already dedicated people to the cause of reservations and have made a lot of organizations and they want themselves to be included in backward castes.
Anyone who thinks that powerful castes like Jats, Yadavs , Gujjars or Marathas are deprived classes needs a through psychiatric treatment.
India is the only country in the world where people fight for being called as backward.
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