Need to create an upper layer within OBCs
The Government has raised the tax bracket for the OBCs from Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. In other words, if an OBC student wants to avail the benefits under the reservation quota, his parents’ income should not exceed Rs 50,000 a month. The OBC reservation policy has been a standing joke since the time former Prime Minister late VP Singh introduced it with no care of its repercussions in the future.
When the Mandal report was being drafted, one of its members, RK Naik, instead of signing the report submitted a note of dissent. Naik had argued, and quite rightly, that within the larger OBC block, there are two distinct categories — OBCs who own land and OBCs who were labourers. Naik argued that the OBC quota should be split into two as the OBC labourers were too weak to compete with powerful landed OBCs. But his opinion was not given any thought. Interestingly, Naik didn’t sign the Mandal report.
So, the Mandal report was a farce even before it was submitted to the Government. VP Singh, at that time was facing political crisis and the only way that he could probably continue was to implement the report. While introducing the report, he cited social reasons. If Singh really believed in social justice, he would have gone with the suggestion made by Naik on the Mandal report.
It is said that Singh didn’t even read the whole Mandal report let alone the suggestions that Naik had made!
If this was not enough, after a prolonged judicial scrutiny, the OBC quota was allowed but with a rider — that the candidates belonging to general category — the upper layer of the society — will not be entitled to reservation or any benefits that will be given to the OBCs.
This rider is rather strange. let us take an example. A police constable and his wife who works as a school teacher bring home a combined salary of Rs 60,000 a month. Will they be considered a part of the upper layerIJ Will an OBC family which has 10 buffalos and makes Rs 55,000 a month by selling milk be considered part of the upper layerIJ Will an OBC family that has a kiln and earns Rs 70,000 a month be part of the upper layer categoryIJ Can an OBC family which has a chicken farm and makes over a lakh a month be part of the upper layerIJ
Ask any sociologist in the country the criteria needed to define a person who belongs to the upper layer of the society, he will tell you that it is a level of society composed of people with similar social, cultural, or economic status. It is the cultural advancement that holds the key. In other words, a person from the upper layer has to have more cultural attributes than economic. For example a butcher might be making Rs 5 lakh a month but very few will be willing to be associated with him at a public function.
This is not all. If the OBCs with an income of more than Rs 50,000 a month do belong to the upper layer, why are there so many seats that are reserved for them unfulfilledIJ According to the Mandal report 52 per cent of the country’s population belongs to this category and yet there is only 27 per cent reservation. This to ensure that the over all quota doesn’t go beyond 50 per cent! And still OBC quota in education is unfulfilled. So where is this upper layer in the OBC that the Government is talking aboutIJ In fact, the whole system of upper layer should be scraped in the nation’s interest.
Dalits have witnessed several prolonged social reform movements. Even upper castes have undergone a series of social reforms. The OBCs by and large have not undergone any serious social reform movements. As a result, they are untouched by modernity. They are perhaps the most backward of any community. They are least educated and view everything that is modern with a lot of contempt and suspicion. Such is their aversion to progress that they are always at the forefront of the Angrezi Hatao Andolan.
By 2050, most of the villages in the country will have a large OBC population. This is dangerous. It will lead to several conflicts between the urban and the rural and the OBCs and the rest of the society. Social conflicts put breaks in the progress and societies stagnate. To prevent that from happening, we need to inject modernity among the OBCs.
To that end, we need to produce from within OBCs a class of people who can bring in a series of reform movements within the community. The Government should make it compulsory for the OBC children to study in English medium schools. This will help them to go universities abroad; their vision will broaden. They may become district magistrates, police officers, IT professionals, journalists and even actors.
There is an urgent need to bring the OBCs at par with the mainstream society. To be able to do that, there should be a conscious effort to bring to create an upper layer within the OBCs.