Reservations or “affirmative action” as it is normally (and positively) referred to, basically means a proactive attempt to favour disadvantaged groups, who have been historically marginalised over the years owing to their sex, race, etc. While if we look at the rest of the world, most of this affirmative action is being used to help the economically disadvantaged groups; in India, interestingly, this affirmative action has been based on caste identities that also found its place within the sacred text of the Indian Constitution.
However, here’s the part of the narrative that most Indians do not know. While most believe that the reservation policy or the caste-based affirmative action was the creation of the Indian Constitution…that is far from being the truth.
Historically speaking, the caste-based reservation policy was the brain-child of the Britishers, who ruled the Indians through a well-thought-out and strategically-crafted state policy. Thus, to promote their divisive policy, it was in August, 1932 that the British Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald granted a separate electorates for the forward castes, lower castes, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, Europeans and Untouchables (aka “Dalits”). Furthermore, special seats were allotted to women, which too were determined on communal basis.
This act of the British Parliament was yet another extension of their endeavour to communalise the Indians as per their divide-and-rule policy so that the Indians would not unite against the British in their fight for an independent India.
While MacDonald’s controversial award was vehemently opposed by Mahatma Gandhi, who even went on a fast inside the Yeravada jail to protest the British act, which he feared would pose as the catalyst that would help disintegrate the Hindu society. Although Gandhi did not mind the separate electorates for Sikhs and Muslims, he was clearly afraid that a caste-based electorate policy would create a further divide amongst the Hindus. However, not every Indian Hindu opposed the British move. One such individual was Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (who would later go on to become the Chairman of the Drafting committee for Indian Constitution for post-independent India).
However, Gandhi — through negotiations — was able to at least reach an agreement with Dr. Ambedkar, through which it was decided to have a single Hindu electorate with seats reserved within it, for Untouchables. This agreement is popularly referred to as the Poona Pact.
What the Britishers, therefore, wanted was done and the seeds of division became deeply entrenched. What’s more, it even found a place within the sacred text of the Indian Constitution. And thus, the Hindu society that had for years suffered the ills of caste division chose caste over community.
Do we honestly think that reservations can address the caste problem in India? How can it…when its philosophy is division itself. All that the reservation policy does is to further segregate the Indian Hindu community on the basis of caste-based identities, which then gives rise to caste-based politics — the biggest socio-political ill that currently threatens the very social fabric of the Indian society. For you see, division cannot ever lead to unification.
