In a major decision ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, the Union Cabinet has approved 4.5% sub-quota reservation to minorities carved out from the existing quota of 27% for the Other Backward Castes category. Moreover with an eye on electoral politics, a prominent Muslim Union Minister has promised a 9% sub quota for Muslims in the 27% OBC quota if Congress comes to power in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
However the community is aware that all such announcements are politically motivated with a standardized intent of political mileage. In addition, such announcements extending perks and privileges by different political parties (if they are in power) are farce and have become somewhat synonymous with politics in India. It is a culture these days to make exorbitant promises during elections and forego all such oratory vows after elections. No political party has ever offered to liberate Muslims from the misery and mess of deep rooted ghettoisation.
Unfortunately no initiatives were ever taken such as intensification of land reforms, extension of credit facilities, and clearance of backlogs in respect of poverty alleviation programme, development initiatives, and measures to spread education. A notable point in this context is that Muslims required most attention and privilege from successive governments in addition to SC/ST, but this is something that the administrators and political parties have simply ignored. There has been a “Positive Discrimination” by the higher but Communal bureaucrats, as they do not show any genuine interest in implementing “Constitutional guidelines”. A large number of posts remain unfulfilled but the officials show least interest in clearing backlogs. This only shows constitutional guideline is not enough to bring a big change in raising the social, educational and economic status of Muslims, but a “Political Will” to implement is required too.
Even Article 340 could not make way for justice or equal opportunity and a fair chance of representation to Muslims either in studies or in government jobs. More and more people are dependent on hand skills, labour, small trades, and jobs in private establishments. All this has only resulted in increasing the number of unemployed in the country. The situation is even worse than the Dalits, particularly because even Dalits have their leaders and representation but Muslims have reached such a stage where hand to mouth is a priority and hence have failed here to.
And as this was not the end of grieves, came 1990’s and violence was reported from almost all quarters of the country, there was a steep rise in atrocities against minorities across the country. The manifestation of communal forces’ prejudice against minorities was now more cruel and vulgar than in the past, like the pre 1990 conflicts were spontaneous in nature, but now the events were meticulously chalked, organized and systematically executed. What happened in Gujarat 2002 and Orissa in 2007 are somewhat glaring examples. In both the cases, they were not riots or conflicts between members of two communities. In Gujarat, it was practically a genocide perpetrated with the active support and consent of the government. In Orissa, on the other hand, it was the members of the right wings groups who literally hunted the Christians out of their establishments, tortured & murdered them. In both the cases the police force, mostly packed with members of non minorities, often side with the attackers or remained mute spectators. Most of Human right activists and secular political observers feel that violence against minorities/Muslims cannot be contained unless the police are impartial and Acts like Anti Discrimination Law is effectively used against the guilty.
Coming back to the point timely Reservation could have had some effect on the overall conditions of Muslims in India, but there as well a strong government action aimed at their emancipation was required. Reservation which was gestated as an option for removing social inequality, has failed in the past several decades. Those with better vote banks, more control over them and with better pressure tactics gained and got themselves included in the reserved list. But Muslims as leaderless community was left in lurch hereto, a time when every community is trying hard to be reserved in some category or the other as “being reserved'’ brings security for the next generation. For getting themselves reserved, parties are born. The primary idea of reservation was to remove social inequality, but instead more divisions appeared.
It is important to understand the objectives of reservation policies. It intends to create a system in which the less privileged get an opportunity to compete and excel. The structure of the policy should be such that it removes the very need to have it erased over a finite period. The statement, although simple, is hard to implement in practice. A successful application would imply concerted efforts of all, in various spheres of activity. It must remove social/religious/caste/creed based imbalances and biasness in all spheres, and if it happens, it would be our second freedom struggle.
In fact the present growth of pressure groups would make the whole population reserved in some class or the other in the foreseeable future. The policies framed, worked against the very objective for which they were created! A privileged group among the reserved has been created, who compete against their brethren to enjoy the benefits. This competition goes on and on and as a result, a creamy layer or super-caste within caste has evolved. Its members are similar to the privileged of the unreserved class, except for the apparent biological manifestations, which unfortunately the years of reservation could not erase. The reserved who enjoyed the benefits refused to acknowledge the fact that they were recipients of social support and considered the two-three letter acronym a curse and tried to hide it as much as possible, except when it came to admissions, recruitment, jobs and promotions. The fortunate among the reserved, who got admissions for better courses, did their best within their ability; got jobs, promotions, accommodation, social benefits, contacts, etc. and this continued for decades. It is natural that once the benefits of reservation are available to an individual, those continue along his/her family tree, forcing others in the community to compete with them. The majority, who does not enjoy the comforts, become further marginalized. As the size of the reservation pie is not increasing, the benefits of reservation do not reach the other sections of the less privileged.
The Ranganath Mishra Commission report recommends 10 percent quota for Muslims - the largest minority in the country. But the reservations' process will be wrought with imperfections as the community is divided into umpteen castes and sub-castes, a system that has percolated in them through their Hindu neighborhoods. Apart from that the approval of 4.5% quota reservation is to be shared between Muslims and half a dozen other religious minorities and will do more damage than good to the community and shall be the bone of contention between the groups concerned. What Muslims needs is more than reservation and quota politics, they rather need more schools in their areas than police stations. Instead of fighting over smaller slices of a small pie of the national income, what is needed is the expansion of the unbiased national pie which would help everyone to get their rightful and bigger share. The oppressed and the marginalized Muslim community need expansion of opportunities rather than half-baked, ill-thought favors’ from the state. The Muslims to have an honorable place must stop looking at charity in the form of reservations & quota’s and should seek fair representation as per its populace proportion. It’s so unfortunate that some politically motivated mullah & scholars are in favour of reservations, which is shocking in the sense that they want the Indian Muslim community to go in for the begging bowl by putting across incorrect demands.
And above all It is time our government gives up its restricted mindset as The Voices of reason demand that educational standards and qualifications should be standardized and impartial whatever the language, religion or region, with financial aid granted on the basis of performance instead of seat reservation. And if the government fails to realize the magnitude of the problem and do not implement the right solution with all collective wisdom, India will be the only existing society in which religion, caste, class and knowledge based divisions will coexist even in 2100.
