The movement by Gujjars to get ST status causes more turmoil, while the Govt struggles for a peace formula. The BJP on Tuesday appeared divided on the police firing on Gujjar protesters at Dausa with a senior leader calling for an investigation. Accusing the BJP government in Rajasthan of adopting a “callous” attitude in handling the Gujjar reservation issue Sachin Pilot , Congress MP from Dausa, slammed the Vasundhara Raje regime. Police firing on protesting Gujjars claimed 13 lives on Tuesday. Adding fuel to fire is the underlying caste feud between the Meenas and the Gujjars which is further inflamed by rumors on what prompted the police firing. Groups belonging to the Meena community, opposing the demand of Gurjars for Scheduled Tribe status, today threatened to use force to lift blockades erected by the protesting Gujjars.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s senior leadership comprising Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh and party president Rajnath Singh met at the residence of the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Thursday to discuss the situation in Rajasthan. Rohit over at Retributions has covered the public debate extensively in two posts. Offstumped mulls over the grim developments in Rajasthan and their national implications.
First some very interesting insights into the bone of contention here – the constitutional designation of entire communities to be the so called “Scheduled Tribes”. The politics of Affirmative Entitlement is such that one can become a Tribe and a “Scheduled” one at that if one is sufficiently voluble. It would astound many a reader to learn that when the founding fathers debated the Indian Constitution in the Constituent Assembly they had their sights on something very different. The Drafting Committee for Fundamental Rights led by B.R. Ambedkar referred to “safeguarding the interests of aboriginal tribes”. The reference was unambiguously to Tribes that lived outside the ambit of modern society through aboriginal means and the focus was on how to secure their interests and integrate them with the rest of the nation. Subsequently the Committee on Tribal Areas started to use the phrase “Scheduled Tribes” and to be consistent on1st December 1948 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar moved an amendment to substitute “Aboriginal” with “Scheduled”. Hence you have the phrase “Scheduled Tribes” making its way into the Constitution.Now we fast forward to the present controversy. By no stretch of the imagination can the Gujjar community be deemed “Aboriginal” living outside the ambit of modern society to be entitled for any special treatment. In fact a cursory look at the wide spectrum of communities that refer to themselves as Gujjars reveals historical rulers and modern leaders, professionals. By no stretch of the imagination can this community claim centuries of historical discrimination either to make a legitimate claim for special entitlements. So when and where did the mischief begin. The designation of Gujjars as a Scheduled Tribe in some states is of recent origin and interestingly enough is yet another example of the Communal Socialism in India. The Gujjars of Kashmir are Muslims with a nomadic lifestyle that subsists on Sheep Rearing. It was this community that earned the Scheduled Tribe status in 1991 under the Chandrashekar regime.
While the present day social conditions of the Gujjar community that have prompted these violent protests are understandable, the standoff calls into question the fundamental premise behind Reservations. The politics of entitlement in India has over the years while providing various justifications for doling out tax payer sponsored goodies to favored voting blocs has been consistent on Reservations. It was always been about “Righting Historical Wrongs”. The political argument for introducing Reservations during the Constituent Assembly Debates and subsequently to amend the Constitution was always about the Centuries of Social Discrimination.
But now 60 years down the line that fig leaf of a pretext is being quietly discarded with all out politics of entitlement taking center stage. The political machine has latched on to two catch phrases “Social Justice” and “Affirmative Action” to market this all out entitlement. Subtly the rationale has been shifted away from Centuries of Discrimination to other considerations. The motive is quite clear – to expand the entitlement to caste a wider net. Hence you have on the one end the Communal Socialism of the Manmohan Singh, Rajinder Sachar variety that seeks reservations for Muslims. On the other end you have a very subtle move towards Communism where Wealth Re-distribution and creating equity have become State Policy. It is this second variety which is far more dangerous for it is being marketed with an intellectually respectable catch-phrase “Affirmative Action” by a new breed of social scientists. Offstumped had then argued why these measures were not Affirmative Actions as they were not about past discrimination limiting current participation but instead were about current economic conditions limiting current participation.
, that seeks reservations for Muslims. On the other end you have a very subtle move towards Communism where Wealth Re-distribution and creating equity have become State Policy. It is this second variety which is far more dangerous for it is being . Offstumped had then argued why these measures were not Affirmative Actions as they were not about past discrimination limiting current participation but instead were about current economic conditions limiting current participation., that seeks reservations for Muslims. On the other end you have a very subtle move towards Communism where Wealth Re-distribution and creating equity have become State Policy. It is this second variety which is far more dangerous for it is being . Offstumped had then argued why these measures were not Affirmative Actions as they were not about past discrimination limiting current participation but instead were about current economic conditions limiting current participation.In either case the politicians and the social scientists have conveniently swept under the carpet the fact that it is no longer about righting historical wrongs. It is no longer about Centuries of Discrimination. It is about creating equity, wealth re-distribution and normalizing outcome through positive discrimination. It is about the state playing god. This folks is Communism via the back door. You can dress it up and market it as Social Justice, Affirmative Action or whatever but it does not change its fundamental character.
But here is the rub. Not everyone is entitled !
The selective application of this kind of entitlement with caste and not economic status as the basis is the root cause for the incendiary situation in Rajasthan.
Offstumped Bottomline: Extending ST status to the Gujjar community would Affirm Positively that in the 21st Century Reservations are about all out Entitlement and the State playing God. Beware the closet communists who will attempt to mask this as Affirmative Action, they are the strongest advocates for preserving the divisive identities of Caste and for the selective application of entitlement.
The War on Social Justice must start with the de-legitimizing the institution of caste.
Unless Casteist identities are deemed illegal and Unconstitutional, the politics of entitlement will tear apart the social fabric.
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This whole turn of events leaves me despondent. I’ve always known that V.P. Singh opened, and now his heir apparent, Arjun, re-opened a Pandora’s box that can destroy the nation. I have no need to re-iterate what you have argued against the whole reservation system.
As for the actual incident, I believe in a no-tolerance policy. No ‘compensation’ for the dead…this community has killed, destroyed public property and affected normal life in the state. To deal with them in anyway beyond a hard line is stupidity. I analogize it to giving candy to a child that just broke your best possession, on purpose. I am also pleased the Congress has distanced itself from Sachin Pilot’s inflammatory comments, which means a good section of leaders there realize how dangerous this situation can become.
Janpar – depressing indeed. I see this as a costly turn of events for Raje and the BJP. The easier thing to do would be to accede to their request knowing fully well there are no guarantees this will actually go thru. It will atleast humor them for now. But as you rightly point out the it will open a Pandora’s Box. The smarter and tougher thing to do is to sieze the opportunity and turn this into an overhaul of the entire reservation system questioning its effectiveness and thus shift the debate on all the other parties. I am betting they will take the easier option.
I think Indian politics has become so murky, especially in today’s age when quotas, criminalisation, super-corruption and ultimate vote banking are just regarded as “healthy signs of social justice in a democracy.” In such a state of affairs, playing the idealist is just simply…impossible!
Yossarin,
I understand you are a hardcore BJP supporter and also admire Golwarkar.
In this analysis of yours if I have understood correctly then you are blaming the Commies for the present situation in Rajasthan. Hasn’t the state BJP CM herself played the goddess by making unreasonable promises to win elections? So isn’t this backdoor communism was by BJP?
You are of the opinion that the Commies “are the strongest advocates for preserving the divisive identities of Caste and for the selective application of entitlement.†Maybe true. But right now in Gujarat it is BJP’s own version of vote-bank politics that is the root cause of the present unrest.
yossarin,
pls change Gujarat to Rajasthan in my comment.
thanks
As Amartya Sen suggested, there is a need for a secular right wing political party in India.. with courage to start the political debate on these issues.
But, with so much economic inequity combined with limited opportunities for the billion-odd people, it’s not very difficult to see why the political parties, as well as the people, tk the easier route of entitlement policies, even though they turned out be ineffective so far.
Amartya Sen is a gas bag. How about a secular left party? When you have the entire left lot – CPI(M) to the Congress – pandering to the assorted mullahs (remember who carved out the Malappuram district?) secularism is simply a catchphrase and nothing else. This is the same Sen who will not acknowledge that there is any violence against the Hindus in Bangladesh and pleads for understanding of jihadis in Europe.
RS – That is quite a leap of imagination there
“sympathetic” – yes
“hardcore” – hmmm not quite
As far as my “admiration” goes you seem to have a preconcieved notion there and have looked for facts to support that notion. If a post dedicated to Golwalkar is evidence of my admiration, why isnt a post dedicated to Gandhi not evidence of the same, you may want to ponder on that.
Coming to the post in question. You seem to have read it literally and missed the metaphor underlying it. The point made was that by promising this kind of reservations the BJP or any other party would be doing things which are no different from communism.
On your second point, you didnt quite get who I was referring to. The reference was to a select group of social scientists who dont overtly identify themselves as communists but have been very vocal in defending reservations by giving it a new spin viz. Affirmative Action. To know who I am referring to check out the other post I have referenced.
Jujung, Arihant – Not sure what Amartya Sen exactly said, but it is important that we all disabuse ourselves that India is a secular nation. If anything what we have in India is a deeply spiritual nation that is quite condoning equal opportunity influence of church in the affairs of the state. Look around in India, you will see religious influence (devoid of any political pr specific reeligious affiliation) in every aspect of life.
The debate on Secularism is a phoney one in India and in its twisted form is used to render one school of political thought untouchable. Even the most “secular” of parties the Communists have resorted to pan-islamism in UP and routinely sponsor Durga Puja in Bengal.
I dont believe there will be a succesful Secular Party in India and neither do I believe that Secularism is necessarily a desirable political end for India. The nation is what it is largely due to its deeply spiritual character. The nation’s politics cannot be divorced from that character.
I dont believe there is
The whole Gujjar-Meena episode makes one think – do the people protesting really know how being an ST really benefits them in their daily life? I am sure that given the propensity of Indians to get a bit too emotional at times, our politicians have little problem in raking up some pointless issue. Interesting – why is it that no one protests (and possibly gherao the MP/MLA or ministers) about *real* issues like roads, transport, health care, schools, colleges, or more jobs? May the more rational among us suffer precisely because of this irrational behaviour of our the majority of our fellow country men? Most of them don’t have that built-in skeptic who questions things that they see around them…
I never understood this whole funda of having reservations at the finishing line (university education, jobs). If a person has genuinely deprived primary and secondary education, he/she is evidently not fit (often no fault of his/hers) to withstand the rigor and competition of either the university education or the job market.
Yossarin,
Just sympathetic?? Someone who zealously defends the modern-day Nero can’t be just “sympatheticâ€. Come on there is nothing wrong in confessing.
You had posts on the Mahatma??? I think I missed it. I found more posts here on the modern-day Nero than the Mahatma.
Next time pls qualify ur post with the note that ur views are not to be taken literally.
RS – To each his own imagination, you get a kick out of your imagination, dream on.
P.S.: Imagine what Shakespeare would look like with a disclaimer to not read his works literally
yossarin,
Shakespeare wrote fiction which is different from the non-fiction you write.
RS – Good one, you have the last word.
@RS:
>>Come on there is nothing wrong in confessing
Just wondering, is being a BJP supporter a sin that needs to be confessed?
Especially when, despite its glaring shortcomings, it is the only credit alternative to the disaster that is the Congress?
Ravindra,
This is a free country and supporting BJP is not a sin in any context.
For me BJP is not the best alternative to replace Congress coz its politics too is very divisive like the Congress. We need all-inclusive (center-right or center-left)parties like TDP, BSP, JD(U), SP, etc. Yes, if BJP comes out of the Sangh Parivar and becomes a truly center-right party then it can be a real alternative to the Congress.
@RS:
>>For me BJP is not the best alternative to replace Congress coz its politics too is very divisive like the Congress.
“Divide and rule” is a strategy followed up by the Congress, taking cues from the British. In the post-independence era, the tactic is to play on the insecurities of the minorities and consolidate a vote-bank. The locus-standi of the BJP (or any of its previous and present avataars) is precisely to counter this divisive strategy. While there may be excesses occurring every now and then, this ought not to jeopardise the basic ideological stand.
>> We need all-inclusive (center-right or center-left)parties like TDP, BSP, JD(U), SP, etc.
To me, the “Third Front”, “National Front”, “United Front” or any other nomenclature, is the biggest hoax that has been played on the polity, and that too several times. These parties are infact DVIVISIVENESS EPITOMISED, since they are headed by regional satraps who cannot see beyond their territorial contours and hence end up sharpening the divisions. Even a so-called national leader like VP Singh, ended up becoming the biggest culprit in the division of post-partitioned India by unleashing the Mandal report, the effects of which we recently saw in Rajasthan (and there will be many more to come, long after VP Singh).
>> Yes, if BJP comes out of the Sangh Parivar and becomes a truly center-right party then it can be a real alternative to the Congress.
It is precisely the affiliation with the Sangh Parivar which gives the “right” context to a “centre-right party”, in this case, the BJP. Pray how else (in the Indian context) would the “centre-right†connotation apply? And unlike the implication in your comment, not everyone in this country is allergic to the Sangh Parivar. The crisis in the BJP today is not so much its ideological moorings, it is the absence of a strong, universally accepted leader at the helm, a pereception which prevents the voters going all out in its favour. Unless the BJP gets its act together well before the next General elections, we may well see another hotch-potch combination in power, just like the present incumbent!
Ravindra,
The locus-standi of the BJP (or any of its previous and present avataars) is precisely to counter this divisive strategy. While there may be excesses occurring every now and then, this ought not to jeopardise the basic ideological stand.
How? By demonizing a minority community? By creating new insecurities for them, by driving them into Pakistan’s ISI’s hand?
To me, the “Third Frontâ€, “National Frontâ€, “United Front†or any other nomenclature, is the biggest hoax that has been played on the polity, and that too several times. These parties are infact DVIVISIVENESS EPITOMISED, since they are headed by regional satraps who cannot see beyond their territorial contours and hence end up sharpening the divisions.
What type of unity has UPA or NDA brought to this country? Today’s political parties are only interested in looting this nation and for this ideologically poles apart parties come together. Forgot all the scams during the NDA tenure?
I am from AP and support TDP. So I am inclined to see the TDP come to power at the state and center and as the last elections has showed us it is best for TDP to avoid BJP at all costs. BTW, last time TDP(regional satrap) had NDA’s jugular vein and derived maximum benefits out of it for the state.
It is precisely the affiliation with the Sangh Parivar which gives the “right†context to a “centre-right partyâ€, in this case, the BJP. Pray how else (in the Indian context) would the “centre-right†connotation apply?
I think you need lessons on categorisation of the political spectrum. It is the ideological leaning of the parties that define them and center-right is not far-right as BJP is. Center-Right parties are liberal, secular, and capitalist.
RS:
This has all the makings of a fruitless debate, but I’ll try to have one last go, responding to your comments:
>> How? By demonizing a minority community? By creating new insecurities for them, by driving them into Pakistan’s ISI’s hand?
What specifically has been done by the BJP to demonize the minorities? If countering attacks on the majority community by revealing some hard facts automatically leads to accusations of “demonisingâ€, then I have nothing to say.
>>What type of unity has UPA or NDA brought to this country? Today’s political parties are only interested in looting this nation and for this ideologically poles apart parties come together. Forgot all the scams during the NDA tenure?
>>I am from AP and support TDP. So I am inclined to see the TDP come to power at the state and center and as the last elections has showed us it is best for TDP to avoid BJP at all costs. BTW, last time TDP(regional satrap) had NDA’s jugular vein and derived maximum benefits out of it for the state.
I don’t quite understand the point you are trying to make here. Are you saying that a Third Front combination will be free from scams?
As you yourself acknowledge, do you think the TDP would have “derived maximum benefits for the state†under the Congress dispensation at the Centre? For instance, dont you feel that the NDA was the one which stemmed the indiscriminate use of Article 356 which the Congress misused rampantly, even in AP? Doesnt this fact demonstrate something to you?
>> I think you need lessons on categorisation of the political spectrum. It is the ideological leaning of the parties that define them and center-right is not far-right as BJP is. Center-Right parties are liberal, secular, and capitalist.
Well, “far right†or “centre right†is a relative term, it depends on where you are standing… LOL!
Ravindra,
What specifically has been done by the BJP to demonize the minorities? If countering attacks on the majority community by revealing some hard facts automatically leads to accusations of “demonisingâ€, then I have nothing to say.
I am amazed at your ignorance about BJP politics. Pls remember BJP didn’t increase its seats in the LS from 2 to 190 plus by taking up B.S.P issues. It played with the sentiments of 80 crore Hindus.
I don’t quite understand the point you are trying to make here. Are you saying that a Third Front combination will be free from scams?
No, Third Front will be the same like others – corrupt to the core. But as a nationalist, suppose TDP coming to power is against India’s national interest for some reason, I will not support TDP.
As you yourself acknowledge, do you think the TDP would have “derived maximum benefits for the state†under the Congress dispensation at the Centre? For instance, dont you feel that the NDA was the one which stemmed the indiscriminate use of Article 356 which the Congress misused rampantly, even in AP? Doesnt this fact demonstrate something to you?
TDP derived max benefits coz it had NDA’s jugular vein in its hand. With the Cong the question doesn’t arise coz TDP will never support it.
As you wrote I too think taking this discussion further is futile.
[...] Bottomline: The incendiary politics of entitlement in Orissa which are not unlike the Gurjar-Meena clashes of Rajasthan have acquired a communal [...]
think..what is the root cause of this probelm..and Why Gujjars of RAJASTHAN demanding ST status…
Reason is simple..if another caste who has same living standard and profession and living next to him getting ST privilege and progressing ahead and other is deprived of this right…The one who is deprived and lagging behanid think getting ST status as the only way out of the current state…
State must set the level playing field… state can not dole freebies to one communities for long on the expense of others….
if level playing field is not set..then I fear that we have very bleak future….
See the fate of those families who paper one kid and other kid is struggling for basic amenities…
[...] all the mass movements in Post Independence India, the Incendiary Politics of Affirmative Entitlement being spearheaded by P.K. Bainsla in Rajasthan should rank as the most suicidal. Not so much for [...]
[...] the Upanishadic Indra, the present day Gujjar leadership is so full of itself that it has lost all perspective on the value of life of those very Gujjars it is desperately seeking entitlements [...]
[...] been over a week now since the incendiary politics of affirmative entitlement flared up once again in Rajasthan. It is disturbing and unsettling that this flare-up was timed [...]
//think..what is the root cause of this probelm..and Why Gujjars of RAJASTHAN demanding ST status…
Reason is simple..if another caste who has same living standard and profession and living next to him getting ST privilege and progressing ahead and other is deprived of this right…The one who is deprived and lagging behanid think getting ST status as the only way out of the current state…//
Well Said
[...] of deeming who is and who is not BPL being the zero sum game that it is, we can be assured of more incendiary politics of affirmative entitlement not much ulike the Gujjar-Meena clashes of the last few [...]