Coimbatore:
A furious battle is going on all over India whether admissions to education and recruitment to jobs, promotions should be on the basis of caste or merit-cum-income. The high caste people all over India are unanimous that merit and efficiency have suffered in India because admissions, recruitment and promotions are increasingly being done on the basis of caste.
Such a shift has started effecting the privileges and properties being enjoyed by these high castes from centuries. However, the Constitution which says caste as the criterion, has upheld the claims of SCs and STs. The Nov. 14, 1980 Supreme Court judgment of V. R. Krishna Iyer dismissing the Akhil Bhartiya Soshit Karmachari (non-SCs and STs). Sangh’s writ petition thus upholding the job reservation in Railways for SCs and STs and its final review by Supreme Court on March 31, 1981, has tried to end this controversy temporarily. But who bothers about the Constitution and the Supreme Court? The high caste people launched the Gujarat caste war on untouchables on this very same issue of reservations to SCs and STs. They are so furious about reservations that a speaker at the RSS-sponsored “Hindu Resurgence Conference” at Ramanathapuram on July 27 said: “The Government has created a new class of religion – the gazetted religion. They are the SCs, STs and OBCs”.
The Young Men’s Brahmin Association of Coimbatore wants only those with an annual income of Rs. 9,000/- and less to be entitled for reservations. It wants merit and income alone as the criteria to determine backwardness. The above demand highlights that the high castes of India are not prepared to accept the Constitution or Krishna Iyer’s judgment.
When they are not prepared to show any mercy to the SCs and STs, will they listen to the claims of OBCs, a report (Mandal Commission) on which is pending before the government? OBCs constitute about 50% of our population and economically they are as poor as the SCs and STs. Sometimes poorer. The latter at least have the constitutional reservations but the OBCs have none. Meanwhile the Gopal Singh Committee has recommended job reservations for minorities who have been reduced to second-rate citizens.
That means all those who have been denied a say in governing the country must join hands to offer a joint fight. The minorities have already joined hands with the SCs and STs The whole problem is the vast OBCs. The Akhil Bharat Soshist Karmachari Sangh which went in a writ petition against the SCs & STs before the Supreme Court and the different Oppressed Employees Associations springing up in different places are mainly led by OBCs. The upper castes all over India are using the OBCs to fight the low castes and the minorities. This has been their game. In Meenakshipuram and Korayur (TN), the SCs embraced Islam not because of high caste atrocities but the Thevars who are OBCs the philosophy of Periyar had come as a boon to the backwards and they were able to seize political power from the high castes in TN only because of the awakening brought about by Periyar. The DMK & ADMK enjoyed power in TN only because of Periyar. But it is an insult to Periyar that the OBCs having been benefitted by Periyar later turned against the untouchables. The Dravida Khazagam which is the organisation of Periyar now led by a great leader like Veeramani should seriously examine this development and avert the crisis, educate the OBCs on proper lines and make them join hands with the SCs and minorities If the OBCs fail to join hands with SCs and minorities they will be the worst sufferers and not others.
