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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Gail Omvedt: don't carve reservation for minorities out of OBC quota

Gail Omvedt: don't carve reservation for minorities out of OBC quota

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published Published on Jan 30, 2012   modified Modified on Jan 30, 2012
-The Hindu
 
‘The 50 per cent limit on reservation set by the Supreme Court should be challenged'

Scholar of the Dalit movement Gail Omvedt supported reservation for minorities, but said the allocation should not be carved out of the existing quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), but added to it by increasing the percentage of reservation.

Addressing a large gathering of people attending the 10th anniversary of the Bahujan Vidyarthi Sangha (BVS), Ms. Omvedt, who holds the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chair at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi, said there was no harm in introducing reservation for Christians or Muslims, but it should not be carved out of the 27 per cent reservation stipulated for OBCs. The reservation for minorities should be in addition to the existing quota, she said.

She said the 50 per cent limit on reservation stipulated by the “Brahmin-dominated Supreme Court” should be challenged for this to take place.

Caste census

Supporting the Government's collecting of caste data along with the Census information, Ms. Omvedt said the information was necessary to fight and destroy the system. She said the attitude of the dominant strata of Indian society towards the caste census was characterised by a policy of “see no caste, hear no caste, speak no caste”.

Touching upon the issue of corruption, Ms. Omvedt opined that there were other issues plaguing society as well, and corruption could not be fought only through the institution of the Lokpal, whose members would be drawn from a particular caste configuration.

Ms. Omvedt said each one should fight against the scourge, dubbing Anna Hazare's movement reactionary and undemocratic. “The true democratic movements were those of the Adivasis, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs who fought for their social emancipation,” she said.

‘Protect inter-caste couples'

Ms. Omvedt underlined the need to reclaim the “true heritage” of India as represented by the Buddha, Kabir, Ambedkar and other like-minded personalities, and said it was time for society to encourage inter-caste marriages and protect such couples.

C.S. Dwarakanath, the former chairman of the Backward Classes Commission, described caste as a cancer eating the vitals of the society and destroying the nation, and lamented that the institution had not weakened its grip despite the efforts of people down the ages, from Buddha to Ambedkar. However, the latter gave the country its Constitution and implementing its provisions was the only tool to destroy caste, he added.

Flayed

Mr. Dwarakanath lashed out at elected representatives claiming to represent the Dalits and the OBCs, saying that none of them represented the socially disadvantaged in the true sense.

“Though there are more than 6,400 castes and sub-castes in the country, the Alemaris or the nomadic community — whose numbers range from 10 crore to 12 crore across the country — have been ignored and the BVS should co-opt them in the struggle for social justice,” he added.

‘Collection of caste data for Census necessary'

Anna Hazare's movement dubbed reactionary

The Hindu, 30 January, 2012, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2843635.ece


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