Yfe Crusader August 2008

WELCOME TO YFE

YFE Crusader I S S U E 1 ,

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On the day of India’s independence, We launch YFE Crusader YFE Crusader is the Voice of Hope for the AntiReservation Movement Join Youth For Equality today Fight against Reservations

INSIDE THIS ISS UE: Quota Game

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in IIT Consensus on 2 Reservations is a must Editor’s Pick ! Cast in Caste 4 Quota Riots

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- A Poem Reservation

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Editorial

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Letters to

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the editor

Quota Game in IIT The minimum requirement for a faculty position in IIT is a PhD. Its beyond any logic that a person holding a PhD is considered backward. The only reason that I can think of is that the government does not believe in the recruitment process at IITs. In such a case what is required is an oversight committee which can keep a check on the recruitment process. Reservation is not an option at all. As things stand, it is already difficult to find candidates to fill the faculty positions. This is because IITs are not ready to compromise on the quality. The verdict is clear that the quality of professors will be diluted if reservations are implemented. What makes this act more sinister than student reservation is the fact that a student is responsible just for himself where as a professor is responsible for the whole class. We feel that unless the issue of reservations is kept alive means of organized protests the government will keep deriving political mileage out of this issue perpetually. There are some issues which have missed public attention in absence of active debate. For example : 1)The supreme court had

ruled that a person with a graduate degree cannot be considered backward. Therefore, ruling out the possibility of reservations at the IIMs. But as things stand today

Was orgainzed in Bangalore, Delhi and Bombay on 5ht of July. These protests gave the professors platform to put forth their views and started the debate on this issue again. The IIT Directors ,sensing support from Faculty and Alumni, turned rejected the government orders. A PIL has been filed by Youth for Equality to challenge the decision of the government.

Candle March IIT Mumbai

Saket Anand Bangalore

there is 50% reservations in IIMs. 2) Annual reviews of the quota : This is another issue that is likely to be slipped under carpet. We feel that this is just the tip of the iceberg. With the elections approaching there can be many more decision that would be made with out any public debate and popular politics will win over rationality. I find no reason why government can't and won't apply the same logic to AIIMs , NITs or for that matter any professional institute. To protest against the decision of the government a peaceful nationwide protest

Writing on the Wall !! “It is often said that caste is a reality in India. But your government is in the process of making caste the ONLY reality in India.” --- Pratap Bhanu Mehta, member of Nati onal K nowledge Commission, while resigning from the body.

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Consensus on Reservations is a Must

Abhinav Bindra Beijing Olympics

Addressing a gathering of academics and intellectuals, a young professor from a leading university pointed out that the last three years have just been the years of the “blatant use educational system for political ends”. He further elaborated that the central government has given a go-bye to all the previous practices and traditions and ignored the pending priority concerns in education.

GOLD Medallist

Congratulations to Abhinav Bindra

Merit brought India the coveted GOLD Medal

It is pure politicking, with no holds barred. The MHRD has given no concrete direction to the policy, programme or to the institutional functioning. In visible anguish, the professor asked the gathering: “were these not the “wasted years in education”? His incisive analysis impressed practically everyone in the audience. Most of them were already seriously worried on all that is going on in the name of educational reforms. Much more was revealed in the subsequent discussions that followed. Only three instances could illustrate the contention and leave no doubt on the truth of the matter: the minority status to Aligarh Muslim University, the neglect of 86th Constitutional Amendment of 2002 pertaining to education as fundamental right, and the issue of 27 percent reservations for the OBC‟s. All of these were given high-profile publicity. The Aligarh Muslim University status was considered on several occasions in the past and the view taken

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earlier needed no sudden reversal except for the perceived „political exigencies‟. The 86th constitutional amendment was enacted in the year 2002 after a long pending demand for the same. It deserved sincerity in implementation, as it was the „will of the parliament of India‟. There were demands raised at regular intervals from various quarters for reservations to additional categories, apart from the constitutional provisions for the SC/STs. It certainly is a complex and sensitive issue, which deserves evolving a national consensus. Evidently, none of these issues were of such an urgent nature that demanded „sudden, immediate and unilateral‟ announcements. It is indeed surprising why no national level debate was considered necessary before making the proclamations? It surprised practically all concerned. Nothing concrete has so far emerged out of any of these three. The Aligarh Muslim University issue was taken to the court and the amendment to its status was turned down. The 86th constitutional amendment enacted in 2002 was, as expected, modified by the government, which came to power unexpectedly in May 2007. It was keen to put its own stamp on it. All that it could cite in the name of achievement is a model bill, which no state is willing to accept and enact. The MHRD wanted to implement 27 per cent res-

Professor J .S. Rajput ervations right from the academic year 2007-2008 in one go! It is alleged that the ministry made this announcement without consulting any one outside the ministry! It was internally assessed that no one would be in a position to oppose it, as it was a political „masterstroke‟. They were right. Every party had to say „yes‟. All that could be brought by way of some objectivity and rationale was the staggering of the implementation of 27 per cent reservations over a period of three years! The Supreme Court stayed it on April 19, 2007 and refused to vacate the stay on April 23, 2007. Breaking the established judicial traditions and practices, the central government thought it expedient to approach the Chief Justice of India instead of the designated bench for preponing the hearing of the case. Whatever follows on May 9 or later, the damage to social cohesion has been done. The politics of education has succeeded in creating permanent lines of friction and distrust amongst various groups of communities. Was this the planned objective? Here is an educational issue which tremendous social and economic imperatives for the weaker sections. It stands politicized 100 per cent though the reservation was limited only to 27 per cent. It would not be easy to recollect or recall any move of this magnitude that, if implemented the way sug-

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gested by the MHRD, could cause unprecedented damage to the quality of education being provided to the learners in the institutions of higher learning. It created tremendous amount of avoidable bitterness amongst the young of India. It sent shock waves amongst academics sincerely concerned about the levels of quality in higher education.

The basic principle of providing additional support to the needy stands accepted in the Indian psyche. This does not apply to political moves that target castes (beyond SC/ST) and religions. The Constituent Assembly rejected religion based reservations but the present government seems to ignore that historic approach rather fully. The great enthusiasm generated amongst the “secularists” with the submission of the Sachar Committee Report and 27 per cent reservations confirms the widespread perception that the present ruling conglomerate is determined to divide the society

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on the considerations of castes and religions. “First right to national resources” did tremendous damage to the Muslim community on one hand and succeeded in enhancing the apprehensions of the others towards it. Today, the general perception is that Sachar Committee report is just a wellplanned ploy to prepare grounds for religion-based reservations. No one doubts that most of the Muslims are backward educationally and, hence, economically. It also remains that such backwardness exists to varying extent amongst many of the other communities as well. After six decades of independence, how can the state decide to look after some and leave the rest to their fate? Sachar Committee could really have made a historic contribution if it had just added one sentence to the effect that others in similar situations and conditions be also treated on par. Whole country would have found it acceptable and implementable. The approach of the government over the last three years gives no indication that it would consider this Report on a broader canvas with national interests in consideration than the vote-bank politics alone.

The Supreme Court judgment of April 23, 2007 provides a great opportunity to all the political parties, and particularly those in the government, reconsider the ways and means to provide educationally sound support to weaker sections. It is time to begin a process of generating a national consensus on the issue of providing equality of educational opportunity to the weaker sections irrespective of caste or religion as the consideration. Even those who approached the Supreme Court against the 27 per cent reservations are not against additional support to the OBC‟s and others in similar situations of deprivation and deficiencies. All concerned must be trusted and invited to find a national consensus.

"India must be the only country in the world, where people fight to be called backward"

The author is the former Chairman of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and also a former Director of the NCERT

- Narayan Murthy, Infosys

PROTEST MODE

Candle March, May 2008 Benaras Hindu University

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The ant & the grasshopper

“The story says that as the winter set, Grasshopper starved & the ant survived due to its efforts in collecting food ”

Today the grasshopper would have called a press conference to show how the ant thrives while it suffers...India would have punished the ant … and grasshopper would have got a quota

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Cast in Caste The recent supreme court verdict on OBC quota in central education institution was a fine balancing act despite the enormous amount of pressure being exerted on judiciary by the government in an attempt to curb the so called judicial activism without realizing that it has a become a necessity due to complete failure of the government on all fronts. The various bright aspects of the order are 1 No Quota in post graduate courses (Though government is trying its level best to intentionally ignore it) 2 Exclusion of creamy layer from the benefits of reservation. 3 Review of quota policy every 5 years. But still this verdict will have far reaching consequences on life inside the campus in coming years as we already see in state government owned institutions, firstly the campus gets divided into two “almost equal” halves. I say “almost equal” because many students from reserved category pick up unreserved/open seats, or unreserved/open seats get shifted under reserved categories due to some biased rules like “Ear-Marking.”As a result general category or so called upper caste students are actually a “minority” in the campus

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and lets not forget there is reservation in jobs and promotion already present so the faculty is also “silently” divided. Quota based on rational criteria like economic status, rural-urban divide, gender divide, vernacular English divide etc. would not have created “US” verses “THEM” feeling. But quota based solely on caste does create this dangerous divide in the campus. If u come in any campus by general observation of socio economic status of students coming from OBC quota will tell any neutral observer that they neither require nor deserve benefits of reservation. Yes there is some consensus that schedule castes and scheduled tribes do deserve quota but even amongst them the creamy layer must be kept out. The term OBC in our constitution was never other backward caste. It was other backward class .The class could comprise anyone, it could have been village artisans or economically backward upper caste. The important word in OBC should have been backward and not caste because it is the most cosmetic and divisive criteria to decide backwardness. As far as current OBC,s are concerned they include Yadav‟s who were kings 2000 years ago !A Yadav (Yaduvanshi) has been wor-

shipped by all caste and classes in India. Jats were also rulers, Patils were village headmen, Patels of gujrat who were once agriculturists have come to play a significant role in the world of commerce, Similarly in southern India Redd y‟s, Vokkligas,Lingayats, Chettiyars, Vanniyars, Ejhavas in Kerala are major beneficiaries of OBC reservations but are not backward by any rational standards like Human Development Index and do not require any help specially quotas. In current Parliament more then 200 MP‟s are so called OBC‟s,18 Chief Ministers are from backward communities. It is this political clout that is forcing such votebank politics in the name of MANDAL commission report. The blunders in MANDAL commission are because of the fact that it was based on cost indexing of 1891 and census of 1931 when even Pakistan, Burma and Bangladesh were part of British ruled India. Mandal report was a politically motivated report used for potential political gains and had glaring inadequacies in it highlighted by the speech given by The Late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Loksabha on 6th September 1990. The division in the campus and the frustration in the general category or so called “upper caste” stu-

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dents creeps up when they see sons and daughters of senior government officials, politicians businessmen, doctors, engineers and professors getting the benefits of caste based reservations and along with that 100 % waiver of college fees and other benefits like scholarships regardless of economic status and caste specific book banks. On the contrary a lower middleclass general category student gets no exemption what so ever based on his/her family income and also faces “reverse discrimination” when he voices his discontent over discriminatory caste based quotas and what about poor or below poverty line upper caste students? Well they never make it to such Elite institutions because neither they have money nor caste for their

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rescue, regardless of their merit. They get used to getting second grade citizens treatment in their own country, from there own government.

This debate is not about merit, merit is present among all class, caste and religions without borders, its about equal citizenship, equal opportunity, equals status in our motherland. And I will never accept a second grade citizen treatment in my own country simply be-

cause they prefer to „cast‟ me as an “upper caste.” Dr. Gunjan Sharma Youth for equality. Mumbai

Equality of opportunity is freedom, but equality of outcome is repression - Dick Feagler

Quota Riots

Dr. Y.K. Sharma Delhi University

Quota here, quota there, Quota everywhere. Quota in education, quota in profession, Quota is there in every vocation. Quota in banks, quota in ranks, Quota is there in think tanks, Begging with quota bowl is the highest honor, Brightest merit is the worst dishonor Hail to the racial ladder, It can make vultures gladder and patriots sadder . Everything is fair, in quota racial warfare. Racial quota is fair, merit quota is unfair, Fair is foul and foul is fair, Quoteth Bard of Avon there.

Protest against Reservations on 6th May Connaught Place, Delhi

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Michael Phelps Swimmer Most number of Gold Medals in Olympics

World’s greatest swimmer at the age of 23…..sheer brilliance and merit

Is there any other way to win the Olympic Gold except on merit ??

YFE

Reservation The question we should be asking is that whether reservation actually works; does it actually usher in a new egalitarian society where caste becomes immaterial. Have the positive discrimination policies in the field of education actually borne fruit. Statistics show us otherwise. 60 yrs ago; the government of India prepared a list enlisting the various SC/STs and OBCs. Since then; this list has NOT witnessed a single deletion.Instead a few hundred other castes have been added to the list. If the proponents of this policy believe that positive discrimination works; then where are those results! For the past 60 yrs; not a single SC/ ST/OBC caste has been considered to have sufficiently progressed to be removed from that list. Thus; it negates the very view of the proponents of positive discrimination that caste based reservation policies have been successful. The second clause is that how many of the present beneficiaries actually belong to the castes that have been traditionally persecuted, which are poor, and helpless. How many students who have availed of the reservation facilities belong to BPL or low economic families. What is the average family income of the urban reserved category students with respect to that of their general category

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Saurabh, Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi counterparts………Does the government of India have any answers? How many of the beneficiaries belong or have any realistic chance of belonging to poor families of rural India? Will the urban counterparts of the OBCs relinquish their benefits for their rural ones? The answer is none; because those urban reserved category students in favour of reservation just want their free lunches! Then how on earth are these policies going to achieve the goals that they were enacted for! How will we achieve the dream of an India where there is no caste-based discrimination? In rural India; current literacy rates especially among women hover around 50%. The high dropout rates even before high school are even more alarming. The government of India has conveniently disencumbered itself of the task of improving the education status of these people because it suits our petty politicians fine if the average Indian rural folk remains ignorant of the truth or else they would be able to see through the façade of these dastardly politicians and their nefarious designs through which they have been exploited since independence. How can an illiterate or semi literate reserved category person ever compete with his urban counterparts? Today; we witness protests

from various castes all over India who demand their inclusion in the reserved category list. Their motto is “say with pride; that we are beggars and backward” The lack of self-respect is palpable in every such act. How can a nation where people have sold every ounce of self-respect and sense of identity for a free seat or job in some higher institution ever progress. Thus; in conclusion; the policies being pursued by the present government are nothing short of Anti National and a pathetic display of votebank politics. The policies if implemented would result in grave consequences where the entire country will be fragmented on the basis of caste. Thus the increased reservation has to be rolled back.

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Wish you a very happy Independence Day. Millions of Indians have fought to get freedom from British but now millions are fighting to get freedom from caste based discrimination. YFE Crusader, the voice of Youth For Equality Movement aims to make India free from caste based discrimination and we dream to see a country with equal opportunities for all. After 60 years of Independence, it is disappointing to see our students to use his/her caste as the prime identity to/not to get into an educational institution/job. Today when we try to forget our

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caste, we are forced to remember our caste as the one and only identity. I am sure our consistent efforts in the direction of equality, will once make a student to forget his caste before entering into the class room.

sader and for the first time we are bringing out a magazine to voice our concerns. This e-paper will be made available on our website. Articles can be mailed to YFE Crusader at [email protected]

We appeal to all like minded citizens of this nation to join hands to fight against caste based reservation. As a part of our awareness campaign against ill effects of present reservation policy we have taken this initiative, where we welcome the scholarly contributions from all the well meaning citizens who oppose caste based reservation. I am delighted to note that this is the first issue of YFE Cru-

Write in to YFE Crusader and make your voice heard by all. - Editor The editor can be reached at [email protected] “YFE wishes u a very happy Independence Day”

Voice from Kolkata - Nayan Das Sir, I am very honored to be a part of your movement. I live in Kolkata. I am a first year student of computer science department in Kalyani Government Engineering College. I was not aware of the cruel nature of quota till last year. But now I understand the adverse effect of quota when I suffer myself. I want to join your campaign against quota. I think every general student

thinks like us, but it needs more campaigning to draw the attention of students. We have to be loud enough to draw attention of the blind and deaf government to mend the constitutional faults and their poor mentality.

Voice from America - Swadesh

gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews. It states that the Indian Supreme Court has just given the go ahead to raise reservations to 50%. I am an Indian/ American high school student living in America, and am greatly troubled by these events. I request some actions be taken, and is there any way NRI's can contribute to this effort? Our country is committing suicide by accepting status over skill sets.

Sir, I have just read this article from the Guardian pa per on lin e, h tt p: // www. guar dian. co. uk/ wor ld/2008/ apr /10/in dia.h igh er educati on ?

www.yfemovement.com

May we go as far as to call a Bharat bandh? Where every student in India protests these actions by not attending their classes? If it can be done it should make some sort of an impact.

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