When the want of quota claims Lives ! – Saurabh Deb,YFE

25 May2008: It appears to be the only a beginning of a trend of communities lining up themselves to get declared backward in order to have a chunk of the quota -pie. The surest and perhaps shortest way to prosperity as some would see it. And the emerging picture is much more than grim- it is also a forewarning of the ominous dangers of flagging the caste-fire. The Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan for getting declared as ST, at least 35 people have lost their lives already. And as Governments and leaders refuse to meet the tension is brewing and preparing for the worse. The ‘want of quotas’ is no longer a simple political demand; it has entered the calamitous phase where it is already taking death tolls. But as men continue to die in the race to be adjudged backward, the political parties continue to bake their breads in the blazing communal fire.

Beginning of the year, the Gujjar agitation had a sharp response from the Meena community in the state of Rajasthan -which already enjoys the ST status and are unwilling to share the quota pie. Communal tension had erupted in several parts of Rajasthan with the two communities pitched against one another. The Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje had politically tried to appease both communities by sending the ball to the Center’s court with a letter demanding additional quota over and above the existing 50% for the Gujjars.

It is well known that the Supreme Court had already restricted the quota limit to 50%. Hence such politically appeasing moves to bluff the communities could have only been short-lived. And it is not the first time that such dirty maneuvers have been tried. Recently the UP CM Mayawati publicly announced additional demands for quota for people who could not be put under the SC/ST/OBC quota, and even asked the centre to amend the constitution if such demands could not be accommodated in the current framework of law. Time and again political parties in the down south have voiced demands for quota based on religion and statehood- which they too are well aware could not be passed on the touchstone of the Constitution. The result – a stay got imposed by the law, while the political parties went away unharmed having fanned the fire of divisive and distinctive ideology and played with the sentiments of the trusting people.

In the past year alone, every part of the country have witnessed more and more political parties demanding quota as the ultimate panache of all ills for its people. But the fact remains that quotas -as were envisioned by the makers of the Constitution was to be limited for a period of 10 years only; expiring in 1960. And little has been achieved other than creating a creamy layer within the needy communities by protracting the quota system. The political parties which were entrusted as the keepers of the Constitution have regularly tried to be executioners of the same. The dangers of amending the Constitution to make political gains would reduce the state to a majority party dictatorship driven under the garb of a sham democracy. Today the Constitution needs to be safeguarded against ill-motivated amendments more than ever before- perhaps even more than the times of Emergency when the attack on it were unidirectional.

It is about time, that citizens of the country realize the imminent dangers of the ¶Quota politics¶ and gave a befitting reply to such tactics through the ballots, for after all its ‘we the people ’ who gave unto ourselves the Constitution, and its we who must not fail it.

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government – lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.¶ –Patrick Henry

-Saurabh Deb ,Member YFE

-Saurabh Deb ,Member YFE