In the recent crisis unleashed by the Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan, one incident was symptomatic. As the Gujjars laid siege to Delhi and blocked the highways, two policemen guarding one spot armed only with lathis, under strict orders by superiors to avoid confrontation with the Gujjars, were brutally lynched to death by a mob. Why were they made to guard a post against a violent mob without arms or sanction to act? Because one party was attempting to divert Gujjar support to itself away from its rival. That is why the Gujjar violence received tacit support from politicians of one party. The Meena threats against Gujjar villages in Rajasthan received similar support from the other party.
Gujjars and Meenas who lived peacefully as neighbours for decades are today at daggers drawn. Lifelong friends have developed visceral hatred for each other. As politicians play their games, the nation is being torn apart. Those who think the crisis has ended need to re-think. The crisis has begun. It will spread to otherstates, among other communities. Sociologists are poring over data to determine which caste fits which category. Politicians and media are busy analyzing recent political moves for the blame game. Why don't they see the big picture?
Around a hundred years ago, the Gujjars, along with Yadavs and Ahirs, were claiming they were Kshatriyas and sought recognition as an upper caste. Today they seek demotion from OBC status to that of a Scheduled Tribe. Why? Because the Rajasthan Jats recently scaled themselves down to become OBCs and hogged reservations. What led the proud Jats to do this? Land-owning Yadavs in neighbouring UP were OBCs benefiting from quota reservation. The Mandal Commission categorized Yadavs as backward in Bihar and UP but forward in Haryana. So much for considering caste as a rational criterion for reservation! Years ago Choudhary Brahm Prakash, an Ahir, succeeded in categorizing Delhi Yadavs as educationally backward. The educational limitation was soon forgotten. Yadavs became backward for all practical purpose.
Already in Rajasthan, OBC castes of Raibaris, Rawats and Sahriyas are inspired by the Gujjars to seek ST status. The Meenas who have hogged ST reservations were arguably never entitled to be a Scheduled Tribe. In Karnataka, Deve Gowda has already announced his intention to restructure the reservation pattern of OBCs in thestate. He wants to reduce the quotas of the Kuruba and Idiga castes in favour of other communities. Rest assured this will generate tension in Karnataka. Rest assured that otherstates will follow with their own formulae for redistributing reservation quotas. As politicians, experts and media pundits earnestly work out the arithmetic for equitable quota reservation among castes, do they ever consider that there are over 3000 castes in India? How many thousand mutinies must India endure before the truth dawns on them, that caste-based reservation is horribly flawed? Is it beyond the capacity of our politicians to devise social and economic criteria for affirmative action, which would not require caste and community divisiveness? This is what protesting students recently demanded. This is what commentators, including this scribe, have long demanded. Students and commentators may be ignored. What about the warning issued by the SupremeCourt?
While staying implementation of 27% reservation quota in educational institutes on March 29, the Court said: