A cabinet minister told Outlook: "While it is true that Arjun Singh did what he did for his own motives, the Congress isn't a pro-Mandal party. How many OBCs are there in the Union cabinet, cwc or indeed, among our Rajya Sabha members? It is a party with a Brahmin mindset." He added that while the cabinet was divided on the issue, there was no way of clarifying matters till the assembly elections in the five states get over: "The matter has not been discussed in any collective formal manner as yet—we will do that only after the elections end in May."
A clarification could have come from the party, not hamstrung by EC rules. But party functionaries, rather than answering questions on the party's position on reservation, have targeted Arjun Singh. While an office-bearer described Arjun Singh's line as being a product of his "fertile imagination," another said, "yeh to dhyan aakarshan prastav hain (this is to attract attention)."
The official party line has been technical: Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi, describing the current discussion as a follow-up to the 104th amendment, says, "A proposal from the administrative ministry, the HRD ministry here, is being discussed with other ministries before it goes to the cabinet. Till the cabinet approves it, there's no decision. So, all discussion is premature." But what's the party's position? "Let the cabinet decide first," he says.
While, of course, no political party can oppose reservation today—the 104th amendment passed smoothly—the Congress finds itself caught in a cleft stick. Meanwhile, in faraway Tamil Nadu, the DMK, a Congress ally, has printed self-congratulatory posters on being part of a government at the Centre which is promoting reservation.
