THE TRIBUNE, MAY 04, 2012
Jats vs non-Jats
After Haryana was
formed in November 1966, for most of the time the Chief Minister of the state is from the Jat community. Intermittently, if there have been non-Jat Chief
Ministers, they were either a protégé of some powerful Jat leader of the time
or seen hankering after Jat support for political survival. It bears testimony
to the political clout of Jats in Haryana. Hence, it sounds quite queasy to
hear the shrieks of demand for reservation from within the Jat community.
The common refrain
of the protagonists of the Jat reservation is that some other peasantry castes
in Haryana are already enjoying benefits of reservation, then why not Jats? Two
wrongs do not make a right, they constitute a blunder. The remedy lies in
denotifying and dis-entitling any such caste from reaping the fruits of
reservation, if after an objective appraisal found that they do not qualify for
it.
We must be alive
to the hard fact that reservation is a state's charity and it is highly unbecoming
of any self-respecting person to live of anybody’s alms unless physically
handicapped.
Dr Rajender Goyal, PS CAVEAT:- I have been misquoted by News Paper The Tribune in certain material aspects:-
- I never entitled my write up as “Jats vs non-jats as published. Rather the write up I had sent was entitled as “RESERVATION EMBROGLIO”.
- The words “Unless physically handcapped” in the last line are the concoction of the News paper in the guise of necessary editing. I had used the expression "Be that as it may be, we must be alive to the hard fact that reservation is a state's charity and it is highly unbecoming of any self-respecting person to live off anybody’s alms unless it is not at all possible to stand on one's own legs due to some insurmountable present or historical reasons".
It is crystal clear that expression "due to some insurmountable present or historical reasons" enables the extension of the reservation benefits not only to the physically handicapped persons but also to SC/ST/BC/OBC/Widows/victims of riots and natural calamities etc in genuine cases.
Apropos the News report “Consensus on no reservation to Jat
community”, (April 30, 2012), I would like to add that the Founding Fathers’
vision of reservation policy was like that of the crutches lent to a limbless
person until his limbs grow up and he stands on his own legs. The time has come
at such a pass, paradoxically, where we see that the erstwhile limbless person,
now having fully grown-up limbs, does not want to let go of the borrowed
crutches, and the inherently able-bodied person has also started clamouring for
the crutches.
The political power is the magnet that attracts all other coveted temporal attributes like money, strength, status, recognition etc. in tow. In the context of jat agitation for reservation, we must know that after the formation of Haryana in November 1966, for most of the time, the Chief Minister of the state is from jat community. Intermittently, if there have been non-jat Chief Ministers, they were either a protégé of some powerful jat leader of the time or seen hankering after jat supports for survival. It bears out the pre-eminent position and stout political clout of jats in Haryana. Hence, it sounds quite queasy to hear the shrieks of demand for reservation from with in the jat community.
The quota based reservation policy a part of the affirmative action was aimed as a tool of egalitarianism. It now stands catapulted as a prized booty. To grab upon reservation- one has to engage with the state and take casualties. The fumes billowed out of Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan have hardly died down, now jats are up in the arms in Haryana demanding reservation and guess who can be the next? Obviously only those daredevils who can muster up enough strength to block national highways, vandalise the public and private property, jeopardize others’ lives, chase away the police and security personnel, sacrifice precious lives at the altar of reservation cauldron and above the all, enjoy overt or covert political patronage from either side of the fence! The common refrain of the protagonists of the jat reservation is that some other peasantry castes in Haryana already enjoy the benefits of the reservation, then, why jat should not be? It must be brought home to them that two wrongs do not make a right, they constitute a plumb blunder. The remedy lies in denotifying and disentitling any of such castes to reap the fruits of the reservation, if after an objective appraisal, found that they do not qualify for it.
Be that as it may be, we must be alive to the hard fact that reservation is a state's charity and it is highly unbecoming of any self-respecting person to live off anybody’s alms unless it is not at all possible to stand on one's own legs due to some insurmountable present or historical reasons. We should shun the path of confrontation and violence, and pledge to dedicate ourselves in the mission of nation-building to find our Country in the league of the developed countries in the next two decade.
The political power is the magnet that attracts all other coveted temporal attributes like money, strength, status, recognition etc. in tow. In the context of jat agitation for reservation, we must know that after the formation of Haryana in November 1966, for most of the time, the Chief Minister of the state is from jat community. Intermittently, if there have been non-jat Chief Ministers, they were either a protégé of some powerful jat leader of the time or seen hankering after jat supports for survival. It bears out the pre-eminent position and stout political clout of jats in Haryana. Hence, it sounds quite queasy to hear the shrieks of demand for reservation from with in the jat community.
The quota based reservation policy a part of the affirmative action was aimed as a tool of egalitarianism. It now stands catapulted as a prized booty. To grab upon reservation- one has to engage with the state and take casualties. The fumes billowed out of Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan have hardly died down, now jats are up in the arms in Haryana demanding reservation and guess who can be the next? Obviously only those daredevils who can muster up enough strength to block national highways, vandalise the public and private property, jeopardize others’ lives, chase away the police and security personnel, sacrifice precious lives at the altar of reservation cauldron and above the all, enjoy overt or covert political patronage from either side of the fence! The common refrain of the protagonists of the jat reservation is that some other peasantry castes in Haryana already enjoy the benefits of the reservation, then, why jat should not be? It must be brought home to them that two wrongs do not make a right, they constitute a plumb blunder. The remedy lies in denotifying and disentitling any of such castes to reap the fruits of the reservation, if after an objective appraisal, found that they do not qualify for it.
Be that as it may be, we must be alive to the hard fact that reservation is a state's charity and it is highly unbecoming of any self-respecting person to live off anybody’s alms unless it is not at all possible to stand on one's own legs due to some insurmountable present or historical reasons. We should shun the path of confrontation and violence, and pledge to dedicate ourselves in the mission of nation-building to find our Country in the league of the developed countries in the next two decade.
Dr RAJENDER GOYAL,
Visiting Faculty (Law)
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