For a party which has played politics based on cast, creed and hunger, admitting to Dwivedi’s claims will be quite difficult. But he is, nonetheless, right.
Barely two days after his thoughtful statement as to whether it was prudent for the party to have headed the UPA II after the 2009 polls, Congress leader and general secretary Janardan Dwivedi has given us another sound bite. He wants to put an end to the ‘quota’ system which is another gift of the Congress party to the country.
Urging party vice-president Rahul Gandhi to end the reservation system on caste lines in the country, Dwivedi made a case for introducing quota for financially weaker sections bringing all communities under its ambit.
His pitch to end caste-based reservation comes at a time when the Congress is pursuing minority sub-quota, supporting reservation in promotion for SCs/STs, introducing reservation in private sector and appears favourably disposed towards reservation for Jats.
“This (reservation on caste lines) should have come to an end. Why it did not happen so far was because vested interests got into the process. Does the real needy person even among the Dalits and backward castes get the benefits of reservation? Those in the upper crust of these communities only avail the benefits. There is a difference between social justice and casteism.
“The concept of social justice has now turned into casteism… I believe there is a need to dismantle this ….Since Rahul Gandhiji is seeking views of people directly for the party manifesto, I am now urging him that he should take a bold decision,” Dwivedi said.
“Reservation on the basis of economic condition of people should be talked about. He is the future leader of Congress. Only one who rises above all this and breaks the boundaries of caste and communalism will be the future leader of the country. Only then a society on the basis of equality can be built,” he added.
While it is important to note that such daring comment on such a sensitive issue has come at a time when the party is gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls, it is also worth mentioning that it comes from a person who is considered reticent in his attitude. Also, Dwivedi has passed the storms of politics wading through the tough waters of caste politics only of which reservation used to be main plank.
But Dwivedi seems to have a change of heart on the moral grounds. He justified his pitch for ending caste-based reservations indicating towards the change in the situations and saying that “now no person has the moral courage to publicly endorse casteism”.
But when asked whether reservation, which was meant to be temporary when it was brought, should continue like it does now, Dwivedi mellowed his stance and went back to “ it is a difficult and sensitive question” statement.
In the recent years, politics based on reservation has been on rise. With 50 percent reservation in hand, the backward classes are yet not able to benefit from it due to logistic differences. There are generations which benefit from this system and there are generations which are still out of the purview.
The anti-reservation group cries foul when it finds the huge difference in the marks that make case of one’s admissibility to a position. Also, the system gives rise to hatred among the two groups which benefit or lose because of this system.
For a party which has played politics based on cast, creed and hunger, admitting to Dwivedi’s claims will be quite difficult. But he is, nonetheless, right.
