Caste based Politics
India boasts of running the largest democracy successfully for over 60 years. Now the time has come to revisit the facts and analyze one of the key areas where we have failed to achieve what was intended. Indian political arena has undergone radical changes from the moment we have attained freedom from the shackles of the British. Politics in India which were supposed to be free from discrimination and exploitation, have taken a turn around the moment power has been handed over to these fraudulent politicians. Caste based political parties have emerged with a vicious intention of cashing on vote bank of the most commanding class in terms of number.
Time has come to question these deceptive political parties and leaders, whether the triumph of their parties is realistic or not? Lot of caste based political parties sprung to life across the length and breadth of independent India. No state has been vulnerable to this practice. Caste based political parties have initiated a brutal process of concentrating on the large vote bank of a particular caste. It’s disgraceful for every contender to the Parliament to claim their victory as a rational and satisfying to every voter in their constituency. Why are political parties trying to bank on support base of a particular caste? What made the political parties to opt candidates based on the caste?
Though Indian National Congress succeeded in keeping all the sections of the community under its umbrella for a couple of decades, by early 70’s caste based politics have sprung to life. From then on we have seen a vital change in the way the political parties approached the Indian voter. A particular section of the society when deprived of the progress and government aid, are left with not much choice other than to choose a candidate from their lot who can raise their issues at the national level. I should say most of the political parties during 80’s and 90’s succeeded in representing their section and decipher their tribulations. Almost all the sections considered to be backward have succeeded in drawing the attention of the ruling party to unravel their concerns. This is truly a positive sign to the political arena. But with time political parties got side tracked from their actual motto and started to indulge themselves in cheap political tricks.
Now the political situation in the country is very grim. If we analyze the manifestos of political parties in 2009 general elections, the agenda revolved around wooing the various sections of the society. Looks like this general election have witnessed more number of caste based political parties than the previous ones. We have also witnessed political leaders making inflammatory statements in open meetings. The election commission has succeeded in arresting the political parties from crossing limits to some extent but it could not wipe them out completely. Caste based politics are surely a negative phenomenon to the Indian political arena. Political parties and leaders should understand that caste based politics might act as a hindrance to the nations development.
Time has come to question these deceptive political parties and leaders, whether the triumph of their parties is realistic or not? Lot of caste based political parties sprung to life across the length and breadth of independent India. No state has been vulnerable to this practice. Caste based political parties have initiated a brutal process of concentrating on the large vote bank of a particular caste. It’s disgraceful for every contender to the Parliament to claim their victory as a rational and satisfying to every voter in their constituency. Why are political parties trying to bank on support base of a particular caste? What made the political parties to opt candidates based on the caste?
Though Indian National Congress succeeded in keeping all the sections of the community under its umbrella for a couple of decades, by early 70’s caste based politics have sprung to life. From then on we have seen a vital change in the way the political parties approached the Indian voter. A particular section of the society when deprived of the progress and government aid, are left with not much choice other than to choose a candidate from their lot who can raise their issues at the national level. I should say most of the political parties during 80’s and 90’s succeeded in representing their section and decipher their tribulations. Almost all the sections considered to be backward have succeeded in drawing the attention of the ruling party to unravel their concerns. This is truly a positive sign to the political arena. But with time political parties got side tracked from their actual motto and started to indulge themselves in cheap political tricks.
Now the political situation in the country is very grim. If we analyze the manifestos of political parties in 2009 general elections, the agenda revolved around wooing the various sections of the society. Looks like this general election have witnessed more number of caste based political parties than the previous ones. We have also witnessed political leaders making inflammatory statements in open meetings. The election commission has succeeded in arresting the political parties from crossing limits to some extent but it could not wipe them out completely. Caste based politics are surely a negative phenomenon to the Indian political arena. Political parties and leaders should understand that caste based politics might act as a hindrance to the nations development.
BSP govt promoting politics of caste, religion: Rahul Gandhi
BALLIA: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi charged the Mayawati government with promoting the politics of caste and religion in Uttar Pradesh and said there has been no development in the state in the last 20-25 years.
"Here (in UP), people do not talk about the state. They talk about their caste and religion... 15 years ago, Andhra Pradesh was behind us. Look where it is today. But UP is continuously lagging behind in development," he said.
Rahul Gandhi was addressing an interactive session with youths here on the second day of his visit to eastern Uttar Pradesh to broaden his party's support base ahead of the Assembly elections early next year.
"There has been no development in the state during the past 20-25 years," Rahul Gandhi rued, and blamed the BSP government for rampant unemployment in the state.
"Go to Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh or Punjab, the scene there is not like this," he said.
Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are ruled by Congress while SAD is in power in Punjab.
Gandhi also addressed a meeting of potential Congress candidates for the 2012 Assembly polls here.
Blaming the state government for lack of development in the state, Gandhi said, "The Centre can only help by providing funds. It is the duty of the state to make best use of the money."
Gandhi, however, regretted that the Central allocations are not being properly utilised in the state.
"The Centre provided funds for National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Bundelkhand area but the money has not been utilised.
Mayawati seeks reservation for upper caste poor
Lucknow, Sep 18 (IANS) Barely a day after she raised demand for reservation for Muslims, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Sunday shot off another letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking reservation also for the poor among the upper castes.
While this was not the first time that she has raised the issue, this time Mayawati has gone a step further by demanding that such reservation be introduced in the private sector too.
The move comes just months ahead of the 2012 state assembly elections.
Seeking to draw Manmohan Singh’s attention to the central government’s ‘indifference’ towards the issue, Mayawati in her letter wrote: ‘When I met you for the first time way back in July 2007 shortly after assuming office…, I had drawn your kind attention to the need for granting reservation to all such upper caste people who were living below the poverty line.’
‘It would be appropriate to entitle them to reservation through a suitable constitutional amendment,’ she added.
The chief minister was of the view that grant of reservation to upper caste poor was the ‘key to removing the social, economic and educational disparities, because of which they had remained a deprived lot so far’.
Caste Reservation Not Applicable for Upgradation: SC
Rules of reservation like SC,ST, OBC quota would not apply to upgradation of posts in Government establishments as the benefit could be extended only to promotional posts, the Supreme Court has held.
A bench of justices R V Raveendran and Markandeya Katju quashed the concurrent rulings of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Chennai branch and the Madras High Court that rules of reservation would apply even to upgradation of posts.
"As upgradation involves neither appointment nor promotion, it will not attract reservation. Upgradation involves mere conferment of financial benefits by providing a higher scale of pay. If there is mere upgradation of posts, as contrasted from promotion, reservation provisions would not apply," Justice Raveendran writing the judgement observed.
The apex court passed the ruling while upholding the appeal filed by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, challenging the directions of the tribunal to restore to Grade 1V the services of certain employees all over the country. The said employees were initially upgraded to Grade 1V from Grade III by applying the reservation rules.
The Government withdrew the upgradation and restored them to the original posts after the CAT, Ahmedabad branch and the Allahabad High Court took the view that reservation rules would not apply to upgradation.
But some of the aggrieved reserved category employees working in Tamil Nadu region approached the CAT in Tamil Nadu against the reversion which ruled in their favour. The Madras High Court concurred with the tribunal's view following which BSNL appealed in the apex court.
A bench of justices R V Raveendran and Markandeya Katju quashed the concurrent rulings of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Chennai branch and the Madras High Court that rules of reservation would apply even to upgradation of posts.
"As upgradation involves neither appointment nor promotion, it will not attract reservation. Upgradation involves mere conferment of financial benefits by providing a higher scale of pay. If there is mere upgradation of posts, as contrasted from promotion, reservation provisions would not apply," Justice Raveendran writing the judgement observed.
The apex court passed the ruling while upholding the appeal filed by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, challenging the directions of the tribunal to restore to Grade 1V the services of certain employees all over the country. The said employees were initially upgraded to Grade 1V from Grade III by applying the reservation rules.
The Government withdrew the upgradation and restored them to the original posts after the CAT, Ahmedabad branch and the Allahabad High Court took the view that reservation rules would not apply to upgradation.
But some of the aggrieved reserved category employees working in Tamil Nadu region approached the CAT in Tamil Nadu against the reversion which ruled in their favour. The Madras High Court concurred with the tribunal's view following which BSNL appealed in the apex court.