MJ Akbar gets it right on Sachar
MJ Akbar has quite a refreshingly honest article on the Sachar report. This was published in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/21/ed.htm#4
I agree with him on this one. If rich wealthy OBC hindus can help themselves to the best institutes (AIIMS, IIT, IIMS) without having to establish any social or educational backwardness data, then the same cannot be denied to Muslims under any grounds. Atleast they went through the process of a commission and data collection.
The Lok Sabha recently approved a bill providing a 27 per cent reservation for "Other Backward Classes" in central educational institutions by a voice vote, which means that there was such unanimity that there was no need for a vote. These benefits have no economic conditionality: the rich among these castes will be the ones who will of course benefit far more than the poor.
The government, and parliament, did not need a special commission, and a report with 404 pages of statistics, charts and comments, to tell them to do this. They just went ahead and did it. Other Indian communities get jobs on command. Indian Muslims get commissions. The Rajinder Sachar Committee, appointed soon after Dr Manmohan Singh became prime minister, is the latest one.
The communities who benefit from job and educational reservations are better off than Muslims, financially, socially and psychologically. There are no riots against Other Backward Classes, for instance, that are aimed at terrorising the community and destroying entrepreneurs who may have set up a means of survival.
Yes, Mr Akbar we agree with you. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. At the very least, the OBC lists in many states should be redrawn to include muslim castes.
The sachar muslim literacy rate puzzle
It turns out that in 10 major states of India, Muslims are more literate than Hindus. This fact is conveniently ignored by the PM while promising them "first claim on resources". Story here and here.
Click the image to see the literacy data from the Sachar report (in turn extracted from the 2001 census data)
Scratch the surface and our social policies collapse in a pile of spectacular anomalies. The left wing cheerleaders will characteristically retreat into the woodwork and offer no opinions. I have pointed out that the #1 problem in India is the failure to evolve a robust mechanism for selecting individual castes for inclusion in the group called OBC. The muslim logic will be along the lines of, "Hey, if powerful and wealthy hindu OBCs can help themselves to a 18000 cr party, why not us ?" At least we have taken the pain to collect this much data. Do they have any data ? Sorry for putting it across so crudely, but this is the elephant in the room.
Spectacular anomaly #1 - TN
It turns out that in the states of Tamilnadu, Kerala, Andhra, and Karnataka muslims are more literate than Hindus, and way ahead of the SC/ST groups. Consider TN, Muslims have a 82.9% literacy rate compared to 72% for the hindus and a paltry 62% for SC/ST. If that is true, then on what basis are almost ALL muslims in TN grouped as OBC (socially and educationally backward) ?
Spectacular anomaly #2 – AP
Recently the government allocated a 5% quota for muslims (this resulted in hundreds of muslims getting admissions to medical schools cutting in front of merit students). Guess what, in AP Muslims have a literacy rate of 68% compared to only 59% for hindus and 49% for SC/ST. They have a splendid lead on the hindus of 10% and a whopping 20% lead on the SC/ST. Under what circumstances do they need the 5% quota.
Spectacular anomaly #3 – West Bengal and Assam
Scratchy record warning ! The communists really need to be taken to the skewers by the Bengali muslims. They must explain why only 6% of bengalis are OBC whereas 62% of Keralites are (they rule in both states). Is WB the land of milk and honey and is Kerala hopelessly mired in backwardness and oppression ? Where is the social basis for this classification ? In WB, Muslims have only 57% literacy whereas hindus have 73% and SC/ST have 56%. In Assam, Muslims are the worst with 48.4% with hindus at 70% (a whopping 22% behind). Guess what ? In WB, almost NO muslims get OBC benefits. They must compete in the open. The CPI-M apparently has no problems classifying the wealthiest muslims (Mapillahs of Kerala) as OBC but not giving benefits to wretchedly backward muslims of 24 parganas. <- Mark our words this anomaly is waiting to explode sooner or later.
In states of Orissa, Gujarat, Mah, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Muslims are more literate than hindus.
Reality Checks action items on Sachar
The Sachar report naturally leads to the following action items in 2007.
- Remove Muslims from the OBC lists in Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and AP. They can no longer be classified as OBC, because they simply do not meet the "socially AND EDUCATIONALLY backward" requirements due to their high literacy rates. Educational backwardness is a necessary condition for classification as OBC. Thanks to the muslim committee members of the Sachar commission for pointing this out.
- Add Muslims to the OBC lists immediately in Bengal, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh. This must be done after collecting admissions records, and surveys of individual muslim castes in thoses states.
If you only add and not remove, then you have crossed the line of affirmative action and are well into reverse discrimination territory.
Muslims have an unequal share: Manmohan
Recently, there was a "Dalit-Minorities International Conference" in New Delhi organized by LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan.
At the conference our PM said,
However, other minorities, especially the Muslim community in certain parts of our country, have not had an equal share of the fruits of development
I think the PM has still not fired his speech writer – because this is another outrageous statement. If a group Gx wants an equal share in the fruits of development, it (Gx) must be able and willing to put in the effort that would result in that share. We can only create social justice policies that can ensure that all groups {Ga, Gb, …Gx} get to put in as much effort as they want in the development. We however cannot guarantee the fruits.
Having said that, "what is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander". If we can guarantee rich and privileged OBCs the fruits directly (read AIIMS, IIT, IIM seats) why not muslims ?
In other words, we cannot really deny muslims what we allow dominant OBCs to have. There is simply no room for a rational discussion here. The only way this issue can be straightened out is by introducing caste-wise data into the picture and redrawing all the OBC lists.
Singh (VP Singh not PM Singh) for sub-quota
VP Singh has been pushing in the recent days for a subquota for Muslims within the overall 27%. This requires no constitutional amendments. This however requires the support of dominant OBC groups such as dravidian parties, as well as caste based politicians such as Laloo Yadav, Nitish Kumar, etc. As this blog has maintained from the beginning, at the root of all problems is the lack of social data. The initial selection of castes for OBCs as well as the continuation of OBC benefits to a caste must be based on current data.
The Muslim Dilemma
The Sachar report has brought out the fact that Muslims are lagging OBCs. However, the correct way to interpret it is the following. (Read "Sachar and the Muslim OBC" and "Perils of group quotas" )
- (1) There is inconsistency in classification of muslims as OBCs. As an example elite Mapillah muslims of Kerala are OBC whereas almost no muslims from Bengal / Assam are OBC.
- (2) Even in cases where Muslims are classified as OBC, they are overshadowed by powerful hindu OBC castes.
The correct way to cure (1) is to redraw the OBC lists to include new muslim castes into the OBC lists from WB and Assam and to exclude elite muslims who are not backward.
The correct way to cure (2) is to provide a sub-quota for muslim OBC castes within the overall 27% OBC quota.
So in effect the Sachar report is making a case for curing both (1) and (2). There is really nothing more to it.
The next question : What about the hundreds of fragmented hindu backward castes ? Can we have a Sachar report for them ?
The blank stare project
Assume, you are an individual who is extremely passionate about space and astronomy. You have blogged for 3-4 years fantasising what it would be like to explore Europa, to travel to Mars and beyond. You have written detailed articles about NASA's faults and misplaced priorities. You have even written scathingly critical articles about the bad design of the Saturn class booster rocket nozzle. You have even formed group blogs with other equally passionate space enthusiasts. From interviews with NASA officials to coverage of space shuttle disasters, you have done it all. Now, if NASA launched a manned mission to mars - is it natural for you to completely ignore the event ? This is what I call a "blank stare project".
As 2006 draws to an end, we in India are greeted with blank stares from exactly those groups we would expect to have a strong opinion on the social policies of the day.
I am reading an excellent book (albeit poorly proof read!) called "We, the Nation – The Lost Decades" by Nani A Palkhiwala. In one of the chapters, he points to an excellent essay by G.K Chesterton called "The Mad Official". He talks about when nations go mad, even monumental actions are received with silence and disinterest. It is worth reproducing here.
Read "The Mad Official" – by GK Chesterton
This slow and awful self-hypnotism of error is a process that can occur not only with individuals, but also with whole societies. It is hard to pick out and prove; that is why it is hard to cure. But this mental degeneration may be brought to one test, which I truly believe to be a real test. A nation is not going mad when it does extravagant things, so long as it does them in an extravagant spirit. Crusaders not cutting their beards till they found Jerusalem, Jacobins calling each other Harmodius and Epaminondas when their names were Jacques and Jules, these are wild things, but they were done in wild spirits at a wild moment.
. . .
Now things every bit as wild as this are being received in silence every day. All strokes slip on the smoothness of a polished wall. All blows fall soundless on the softness of a padded cell. For madness is a passive as well as an active state: it is a paralysis, a refusal of the nerves to respond to the normal stimuli, as well as an unnatural stimulation. There are commonwealths, plainly to be distinguished here and there in history, which pass from prosperity to squalor, or from glory to insignificance, or from freedom to slavery, not only in silence, but with serenity. The face still smiles while the limbs, literally and loathsomely, are dropping from the body. These are peoples that have lost the power of astonishment at their own actions. When they give birth to a fantastic fashion or a foolish law, they do not start or stare at the monster they have brought forth. They have grown used to their own unreason; chaos is their cosmos; and the whirlwind is the breath of their nostrils. These nations are really in danger of going off their heads en masse; of becoming one vast vision of imbecility, with toppling cities and crazy country-sides, all dotted with industrious lunatics.
Happy holidays everyone !!
Rajya Sabha MPs who asked questions
We want to document who asked the tough questions in 2006. This is for todays kid who, 20 years from now, wants to look back and find out what went wrong.
NOTE : We do not look upon these MPs as pro or anti-quota. By all means, pass the 27% OBC quota bill, but debate the workings of the system in the house. Tell the nation how this quota is going to help the kid in the slum or the kid who sells newspapers at traffic lights. Tell the upper caste poor that the detour from Article 14 (right to equality) is worthwhile because it reaches the downtrodden. Everyone deserves the facts. These MPs (1 LS and 4 RS) tried to initate a debate in the two houses. We salute them for that !
Four MPs asked the tough questions in the Rajya Sabha (strength 242) Of the four, only one MP was from a major political party (SS Ahluwalia of the BJP). In the Lok Sabha, only one remarkable politician Tathagata Satpathy of the BJD tried to initiate a debate. See here for details.
For full text refer to the Rajya Sabha website (which has a static IP address – no website name ! )
Shri SS Ahluwalia (BJP Jharkhand)
Profile (may not be a permanent link)
The founding fathers of our Constitution mentioned about education in many articles. Article 45 of our Constitution says, 'The State shall endeavour to provide, with a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.' 56 years have elapsed but even now 45th article of the Constitution could not be implemented.
…
Article 15 (1) & (2) of our Constitution say, "The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on ground only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them." At the same time article 29 (2) says, "No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State Fund on grounds of religion, race, caste, language or any of them."
…
The Kaka Kalelkar Committee, which was constituted in 1995, had identified 837 most backward classes out of 2399 OBCs. But in the Report of the Mandal Commission during the Eighties, the number of OBCs swelled from 2399 to 3743. While in 2005 the Sachar Committee was constitituted to find out the proportion of OBCs from the Muslim Community in the total OBC population in various states. If such a provision would have been made in 1952 itself, this situation had not arisen.
…
Today, after 56 years of Independence, our 27 per cent population is still living below poverty line. Who are those people for which this Bill is being brought in? Since they don't get primary education, there is no question of their admission into these educational institutions for getting higher education. This is, therefore, a mere slogan to allure or confuse a few people.
…
Dr Chandan Mitra (Nominated)
I rise to oppose this Bill in totality. The solemn pledge was made that within ten years of the promulgation of the Constitution, the Government of India would undertake to provide free primary education to all children born in this country till the age of 14. More than 55 years after the promulgation of the Constitution, this pledge remains unfulfilled. I demand an answer from the Government and those who have been in power that why is it that the primary job of providing education to every child born in this country since independence has not been completed?
Why the literacy rate in this country is still below 70 per cent, if you take men and women together? Why have we failed to carry out this basic task? Having failed to do this, we now look at how to introduce quotas, reservations and create divisions in the society on grounds of caste, creed, community and so on and so forth. The answer is not quotas, The answer is to upgrade everybody to provide them equality of opportunities to people across the board so that everybody comes up to a certain level and is capable of competing with the best in the country. Economic development has touched the lives of people in the rural and backward areas also. The maker of our Constitution, the great Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar described quotas as a crutch and said that nobody should be dependent on the crutch beyond a point of time.
I would appeal to the Government that please think of introducing some provision whereby even after we introduce quotas review. After two generations, the same family should not be entitled for quota provisions anymore. Constitution has been changed more than a hundred times! Why cannot the Constitution be changed once more to provide for economic criteria so that the poor and backward of all communities are entitled to some of these special enabling benefits?
Dr PC Alexander (Independent – Maharashtra)
As far as this Bill is concerned, this is within article 15 (4) and 15 (5). We recently amended the Constitution and it provides for reservation in the educational institutions. It is for equal opportunity for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes who have suffered educational backwardness, social backwardness for long years. The root cause of this is that they are not able to send their children to right schools, to the good schools.
. . . .
Why should we dismiss the recommendation of the Standing Committee? When we appoint Committee, we accept whatever is convenient from their recommendations and omit whatever is inconvenient. Appoint a Commission to identify the criteria which is needed for deciding the creamy layer.
Shri Rahul Bajaj (Independent Maharashtra)
I am very sincerely for all assistance to economically and socially backward people. My company, Bajaj Auto, employees, 36 per cent of SCs, STs and OBCs. But every one was selected on merits. I am against discrimination against any category of people in any form whatsoever.
The need, as has been mentioned, is for better education at all levels starting from the primary school for everyone. I know the Bill will be passed almost unanimously. But, today, we should, at least, take a pledge that every child in this country will get good primary education till the age of 14 years. Education and primary health should get the first preference. We will not be able to do that without infrastructure.
…
Dare to question, thank you Mr Tathagata Satpathy
Recently, the Indian Lok Sabha (545 members) assembled to pass the so called "Central Educational Institutions - Reservations in Admissions Bill". Not one dared to call into question the fundamental workings of the OBC category. "On what basis does a caste X come to be classified as OBC, and on what basis does it remain to be so". None of the Bengali politicians did not care about why only 6 out of 100 Bengalis are eligible for the newly created seats. For all its talk about creamy layer, the CPM did not push the matter. The most backward Muslims in WB/Assam will not get OBC benefits, but the richest Muslims from Kerala (Mallapuram) and TN will. Judge for yourself the quality of the debate. Read more here (select Session 9 and Date 14/12/2006)
Anyway, this post is about a man named Tathagata Satpathy of the BJD (Biju Janata Dal) from Dhenkanal, Orissa. He was the only MP in a house of 545 to speak his mind and ask several uncomfortable questions. We want to highlight his speech in this blog. In the year 2021, if someone wants to find out why backward people throw stones, and why there is wretched poverty among many castes, and why some poverty stricken castes still carry the night soil - they can google and find out there was only ONE person who spoke for them. Mainstream media coverage : Indian Express story here , South Asian Media here
The following is his speech
1740 hours
SHRI TATHAGATA SATPATHY (DHENKANAL): Mr. Deputy-Speaker, Sir, I am grateful to you for giving me this opportunity to speak on the Central Educational Institutions (Reservations in Admission) Bill, 2006.
Sir, we know that the human nature does not allow that anybody gives anything to anyone else, and you have to be able to receive it. If we go according to this belief, we find that in this Hindu community in India, the upper castes, the Brahmins, the kshatriyas and others have been considered as the creamy layer and thus deprived of reservation, which I wholeheartedly support because the perception is that they are ahead of the others. But, Sir, when we see the effects of reservation for the past sixty years, whether for OBCs or SCs and STs, we find that amongst that section of the society, those who have become the creamy layer, the upwardly mobile and those who have been benefited, are unwilling to let go of the benefits that they have received. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that in this country, today there is a backward race. Everyone wants to become backward. As Shri Gangwar has said earlier, from 2000 institutionalized or registered OBC castes, now we have 6,500. This number alone shows that we have got into a sick mode, a mode where people have become mentally sick, and everybody wants to be backward. People are tricking this system to get themselves registered. Those who can manipulate and become backward and willing to be registered as backward because they want the benefits. It is a 'grab grab' situation. We, politicians, here and who have been elected to this August or September or October House are unwilling to speak the truth. This is no more a august House. … (Interruptions)
MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Please conclude.
SHRI TATHAGATA SATPATHY (DHENKANAL): Sir, give me some more time.
Sir, we are unwilling to find the truth; we are unwilling to say what the truth is; and we are unwilling to accept the reality of this country. It is a race. Everybody wants to become the champion of the backward. It does not matter if the champion is a Rajput or a King or a Zamindar. We saw that in 1990 when Shri V.P. Singh ventured out and wanted to be the champion. Now, we are seeing many more champions. But it is a sad state for this country that there is nobody who is willing to come up and say: "¤ÉºÉ £ÉÉ<Ç 10 ´ÉÉÉç BÉEä ÉÊãÉA +ÉÉ®FÉhÉ lÉÉ*" The founding fathers of the Constitution in this country said that after ten years, you get rid of this reservation. Today, we are in a backward race, and we want to become more and more backward so that we get the benefits of this nation. Sir, when do we change this mindset? Will we remain as we are or will we change ourselves? That is the question.
Sir, it is a question of what kind of a society do we want to create. I would like to question the hon. Members of Parliament from both sides of the House to give in writing that when they go to CGHS dispensary or RML Hospital, it should be mandatory that they should get a doctor who comes from their community or from the backward community, and they shall not in for a doctor who is qualified. [R142]
(k4/1745/kkd/mkg)[r143]
If you say, on the one hand that there is no merit; if you say, on the one hand that merit does not matter; on the other hand, you are saying globalization; you are saying that we want to be competitive internationally. You have to recognize merit; you have to recognize merit only when you bring in the OBC or ST or SC from the lowest of the low, from the poorest of the poor. If they are fed well, clothed well, educated well, then they become competitive. We do not do that; we cheat them; we try to take their votes; we try to benefit from their backwardness; and we give them solace that: "Listen, you are backward; we will do something for you."… (Interruptions)
But it is not them that we are benefiting. We have our eyes in the coming UP elections; we have our eyes on becoming the champions of the backwards.
MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Please sit down now.
SHRI TATHAGATA SATPATHY (DHENKANAL): Sir, this is a repressive step; this is a very reactionary mindset, and I hope and believe that this Government and those who are present in this House today, will really consider this step and will think of the nation, think of India's future; and not become caste ridden, religion ridden, petty or small, but grow beyond all that. They have to rise above personal conditions across party lines.
With these words, I conclude. Thank you.
Hats off to you sir. We dont look upon you are a pro or anti reservationist. We dont care what your caste or religion is. We applaud you for just having the courage to ask the tough questions. On behalf of poor and marginalized castes we thank you for raising the creamy layer issue.
OBC Quota bill passed LS – creamy layer to benefit
This is along expected lines, no one wants to touch this hot potato. The politicians want the Supreme Court to clean up the mess. Bloggers Apollos' take
Here is the story http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=78191
It was never about us now , was it ?
By keeping the creamy layer in – the real intentions of the UPA government are out in the open. The government better make sure this workers sons do not take up arms. Yes, there will be stone throwing, train burning, like you have not seen before.
It was always about sons and daughters of educationalists, professors, politicians, doctors, lawyer, judges.
Folks like this woman are just props or serve as video footage at film festivals at Venice or Milan. The wretchedness of their slums and their deprivation end up as wallpapers and banners.
Social justice indeed !
Pic source : The South Asian journal
Only two voices spoke against it – most of the OBC politicians lauded the bill and wanted more. All MPs from TN cheered because the creamy layer was kept in (73% of TN is other backward classes )
" Tathagata Satpathy (BJD MP from Dhenkanal, Orissa) who opposed it. He asking the government and the House to reconsider the Bill and called it a "regressive and reactionary step". "
"BJP's Santosh Gangwar asked for examining the list of OBCs which have grown from 2,000 to 6,000-odd communities. "
--
Asadullah Syed
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