A Mandal too many

The framers of our Constitution decided only SC/ST categories deserve reservation and 10 per cent was decided upon, and increased to 18 per cent in Indira Gandhi?s time. The SC/STs are still struggling.

The framers of our Constitution decided only SC/ST categories deserve reservation and 10 per cent was decided upon, and increased to 18 per cent in Indira Gandhi’s time. The SC/STs are still struggling. Quotas make them complacent and they don’t put in the requisite effort to secure admission to colleges or government jobs. The OBC category came into being under the Mandal commission. In 16 years of this reservation, have OBC students benefited?

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R Rangarajan
via e-mail

II

If announcing quota for OBCs is so easy, why is there such a fuss about reservations in minority institutes? Although reservation on caste lines is unfair, and it’s going to put paid to years of effort to maintain unity in diversity. This is a desperate vote-gimmick.

Ashish Singh
Hisar

III

Sixteen years ago it was the Congress who opposed the implementation of the Mandal report. Ironically, it is the Congress itself that is implementing the Mandal II report for its own electoral interests this time around.

Chetan Sampat
Gurgaon

IV

It is shameful that in an India that is excelling globally on the basis of merit, there are politicians who still harp on their decades-old formula of ‘caste politics’ to win elections. Someone rightly said ‘Indians are first-rate people made second-rate by third-rate politicians’.

Vinu Nambiar
via e-mail

Find a solution

The editorial Painful progress (April 8) made light of Medha Patkar’s fast unto death. How else can the grievances and exploitation of the underprivileged sections reach the government.

Sami Rafiq
Aligarh

Bad trend

The Centre has bowed to the SBI employees’ demand for pension (SBI employees call off strike, April 10). Any survey will reveal that this is setting a wrong precedent, as they are the least efficient.

LR Sabharwal
via e-mail

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