This refers to the report, “Bhagwat's quota review advice triggers debate” (September 22). Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's call for review of the reservation policy is reflective of the apprehensions in the political establishment about the demand for reservation cropping up from dominant groups like the Patidars in Gujarat and the Jats in Haryana. Surely, there seems to be a growing realisation that the reservation policy needs to be recalibrated. But with high electoral stakes, which party will bite the bulletIJ
By using political heft, many undeserving groups have found their way into the other backward castes category. Conversely, political parties have bent over backwards to propitiate dominant communities by granting them the OBC status. The creamy layer — an idea to exclude those financially well-off — has been undermined by the liberal relaxation of the income criteria. However, few politicians want to risk the political backlash of challenging the OBC reservation policy or calling for a periodic review of its efficacy.