This refers to your report “Jat Quota Protest” violence spreads in Haryana” (Feb-22). Reservation Policy which was initiated as a temporary provision (for 10 years) for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in our Constitution in 1950 has expanded its coverage and contents multifold over the past six to seven decades. Even after 68 years of independence it is a shameful affair to see that the reservation system on the basis of caste and religion is gaining momentum. Reservation was introduced to ensure that the historically underprivileged communities were given equal access to resources. Reservation destroys self-respect, so much so that competition is no longer on to determine the best but the most backward. Eradication, not perpetuation, of caste was the main objective of the reservation policy. Caste is an ignominy that deserves to be ignored in not only promotions but also marriages, temples and other aspects of daily life. There should be reservation but let it be strictly implemented on the basis of economic criteria.
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
