Politics of reservation

In view of the coming assembly elections, the ruling Congress Party in UPA government at the Centre has played Muslim card by giving the minority 4.5 per cent reservation within 27 for Other Backward Castes( OBCs) in government jobs and educational institutions. The weapon of reservation is used by every ruling political entity for getting votes in its favour. But no effort has ever been made to make appraisal of how much the reservation has benefited to whom it has been given. The apparent reason is that the successive ruling establishments have nothing to with the uplift of the category of people under reservation but to promote their vote bank politics.
Although there is no constitutional provision to give reservation on the basis of religion, the current announcement made by the UPA government is through executive order and it has been given under already notified 27 percent reservations to OBCs.
By playing the Muslim card, the Congress is certainly trying to retrieve the support of the community in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in particular and the whole of the nation in general.
The three political parties- BSP, SP and RJD- whose politics is entirely based on caste and community always demand for reservation only with a view to promoting their brand of casteist politics. All these three are state-based political party. The ruling BSP and the opposition SP of UP are confined to the state while RJD’s influence is confined to Bihar.
The main national Opposition party BJP has vehemently opposed the reservation to minority as it is unconstitutional. The party has always opposed the politics of appeasement. But Congress has always played the politics of appeasement in the name of secularism.
Congress being the oldest political party of the nation must take holistic view on any issue and must not be guided by narrow political interest. It has also ruled the country for the longest period of time. It is correct that Congress has always championed the cause of secularism and it also upholds secularism at all costs barring a few aberrations. The party has also given its stamp of approval to the 50 per cent reservation in the constitution of Lokpal. Lokpal will have 8 members of which 50 per cent will be reserved for SC, ST, OBCs, Women and minority. Lokpal Bill has been introduced to check corruption. It is not government job giving body. What need is there for reservation? It is not to benefit only socially and economically weaker sections of society but all by checking corruption.
The Congress party must make arrangement for the appraisal of benefits so far availed by the beneficiaries after the independence. It is seen and experienced that the benefit of reservation has been availed by the affluent section of people of the reserved category and the poor and disadvantaged section of people in that category remained deprived. So, these lacunae in reservation privilege must be removed. There is no opposition to reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for only economically backward section of the people.