Should Jats Be Included In OBC Quota?

Should Jats Be Included In OBC Quota?

The Supreme Court struck down the Centre's decision to grant reservation quota to the Jat community in educational institutions and jobs stating it as a reflection of "retrograde" and "negative" governance. The UPA government took the decision to include Jat Community in the OBC status was taken last year during general elections. The decision attracted strong negative reactions from other backward class communities as they considered it as vote bank politics. However, the existing NDA government also defended the decision in the Supreme Court. So, Should Jats Be Included In OBC Quota?

Yes

- The Jats are also faced with the major issue of backwardness, and they can get additional benefits only through reservations.

- The problem with Jat group lies is underrepresentation due to which they are ignored in many sections of economy.

- There is a need of intervention which can empower deprived groups. They are an integral part of country and also need jobs, education, scholarships and similar benefits to grow in life.

- Quotas are justified in case of oppressed caste groups that have been a victim of systematic discrimination in the past.

- The decision is favored by two major political parties and therefore, it should be given a due consideration.

No

- Affirmative actions should be used as growth tool that can enable them to compete rather than quotas which makes them constant beneficiaries of additional attention and help.

- It doesn’t matters if the group gets the reserved quota or not, if they get employment and educational admissions problem will automatically be solved.

- The problem of education, unemployment and lack of other benefits is not restricted to just minority groups, it extends to all groups of country.

- There is no need to identify groups based on their historical depressed status with reference to social exclusion and specific ritual with the caste system. Someday all these differences have to be wiped out.

- Such kind of reservation quotas creates differences between different groups and undermines national unity.

- Reservations purely on the basis of caste or religion are not acceptable under the constitution. It should be measured on various factors including social, economic and education.

Conclusion

It is the time to take some affirmative actions, instead of demanding quotas for any specific community. The government should consider the larger issue. There is a need to step back and reanalysis preoccupation with caste as the sole base for preferential policies. The government has been demanding reservations on basis of past discrimination and such reasons are not enough to justify reservation quota. Already, the country has faced several issues related to reservations in the past. The decision of Supreme Court should be respected and considered as a first step towards change.