The passage of as bill proposing 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs for Marathas in Maharashtra Legislature Thursday has now made the state second in the country in terms of quota quantum.

Haryana which offers 67 per cent reservations, used to be second in the list, followed by Telangana where the quantum of quota rose to 62 per cent last year, an official said.

With the passage of the Maratha quota bill, the reservation quantum in Maharashtra will rise to 68 per cent, just a per cent less than Tamil Nadu, which tops the tally with 69 per cent reservations in various categories.

In Rajasthan, the quota quantum rose to 54 per cent last year after that government increased reservations for Gujjars and four other backward communities, the official said.

Asked how Maharashtra government will defend the increase in reservations in court, the official said, "If needed, we can submit strong data supporting our decision of awarding 16 per cent quota to Marathas."

"The Supreme Court, in a 1992 order, had put a cap on reservations in government jobs and education at 50 per cent. But in an order in July 2010, it allowed states to exceed that limit, provided they had solid scientific data to justify the increase," the official said.&nbsp;

The passage of as bill proposing 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs for Marathas in Maharashtra Legislature Thursday has now made the state second in the country in terms of quota quantum.

The passage of as bill proposing 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs for Marathas in Maharashtra Legislature Thursday has now made the state second in the country in terms of quota quantum. Haryana which offers 67 per cent reservations, used to be second in the list, followed by Telangana where the quantum of quota rose to 62 per cent last year, an official said. With the passage of the Maratha quota bill, the reservation quantum in Maharashtra will rise to 68 per cent, just a per cent less than Tamil Nadu, which tops the tally with 69 per cent reservations in various categories. In Rajasthan, the quota quantum rose to 54 per cent last year after that government increased reservations for Gujjars and four other backward communities, the official said. Asked how Maharashtra government will defend the increase in reservations in court, the official said, "If needed, we can submit strong data supporting our decision of awarding 16 per cent quota to Marathas." "The Supreme Court, in a 1992 order, had put a cap on reservations in government jobs and education at 50 per cent. But in an order in July 2010, it allowed states to exceed that limit, provided they had solid scientific data to justify the increase," the official said.

Maharashtra now second after Tamil Nadu in quota quantum "ranking"

Members of the Gujjar community in Rajasthan on Sunday decided to revive their agitation over reservation granted to them.&nbsp

Gujjar leader Col Kirori Singh Bainsla was quoted saying by ANI that the community will launch an agitation before May 21 in Patoli, Pipalkheda, Dausa, Sikandra, Kotputli, Ajmer, Pali, Jalore, Bhilwara & Sawai Madhopur.&nbsp

Bainsla further added that their demands have not been met and the government is providing them with just 5% reservation.

The Gujjar leader said that injustice is being done to the community in all vacancies and informed that members of the community will launch an agitation this month to press for their demand of five per cent reservation from within OBC quota.

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Govt is providing us 5% reservation. Injustice is being done to us in all vacancies. We'll launch an agitation before May 21 in Patoli, Pipalkheda, Dausa, Sikandra, Kotputli, Ajmer, Pali, Jalore, Bhilwara & Sawai Madhopur: Col Kirori Singh Bainsla, Gujjar leader (06.05.2018) <a href="https://t.co/CwlMVE8oui">pic.twitter.com/CwlMVE8oui</a>
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Bainsla further added that their demands have not been met and the government is providing them with just 5% reservation.

Members of the Gujjar community in Rajasthan on Sunday decided to revive their agitation over reservation granted to them. Gujjar leader Col Kirori Singh Bainsla was quoted saying by ANI that the community will launch an agitation before May 21 in Patoli, Pipalkheda, Dausa, Sikandra, Kotputli, Ajmer, Pali, Jalore, Bhilwara & Sawai Madhopur. Bainsla further added that their demands have not been met and the government is providing them with just 5% reservation. The Gujjar leader said that injustice is being done to the community in all vacancies and informed that members of the community will launch an agitation this month to press for their demand of five per cent reservation from within OBC quota. Govt is providing us 5% reservation. Injustice is being done to us in all vacancies. We'll launch an agitation before May 21 in Patoli, Pipalkheda, Dausa, Sikandra, Kotputli, Ajmer, Pali, Jalore, Bhilwara & Sawai Madhopur: Col Kirori Singh Bainsla, Gujjar leader (06.05.2018) pic.twitter.com/CwlMVE8oui — ANI (@ANI) May 7, 2018 ×

Gujjar leaders decide to launch protest on reservation before May 21

The Supreme Court has said that it is not against the SC/ST Act and doesn't want the innocent to be punished.

The court made these observations while hearing Attorney General K K Venugopal's submission during the hearing of Centre's petition of SC/ST Act.

"Those agitating on streets may not have even read our judgment. Vested interests are also involved sometimes. We are only concerned about innocent people being put behind bars. We are not against the Act at all. But innocents can't be punished on a unilateral version. Why does government want people to be arrested without verification," the apex court observes.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/scst-verdict-supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-review-petition-in-open-court-128014">Supreme Court</a> asked the lawyers in the case, including the Attorney General, to file a written submission and it will hear the case after 10 days.&nbsp;

The Supreme Court said that the question of a preliminary inquiry before an FIR or a prior permission for the arrest of a public servant comes up only when the charges are framed solely under the SC/ST (PoA) Act. The court said its order neither dilutes the provisions of the said act or affects any other offences charged under other sections of IPC or CrPC.&nbsp;

Earlier, Amid <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/protests-over-centres-decision-to-file-scst-review-petition-in-supreme-court-1-dead-in-madhya-pradesh-127773">noisy protests</a> in the Lok Sabha, Home Minister <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/done-nothing-to-dilute-scst-act-rajnath-singh-on-dalit-protests-128034">Rajnath Singh</a> addressed the violence that singed large parts of the country on Monday.

"The government has not diluted the provisions of the SC/ST Atrocities Act. In fact, we have strengthened the act. We have introduced provisions for the protection of victims, who are already suffered enough. Moreover, if officials are found lacking in their response to a complaint filed by anybody, we want action initiated against them as well," Rajnath Singh said.

Meanwhile, at least nine people were killed in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on Monday, while thousands were detained by the police and hundreds, were left injured as the state and central governments struggled to control the massive Bharat Bandh protests that erupted across the north, west and east India over the Supreme Court’s alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act.

'We are not against the Act at all. But innocents can't be punished on a unilateral version. Why does govt want people to be arrested without verification,' the apex court observes.

The Supreme Court has said that it is not against the SC/ST Act and doesn't want the innocent to be punished. The court made these observations while hearing Attorney General K K Venugopal's submission during the hearing of Centre's petition of SC/ST Act. "Those agitating on streets may not have even read our judgment. Vested interests are also involved sometimes. We are only concerned about innocent people being put behind bars. We are not against the Act at all. But innocents can't be punished on a unilateral version. Why does government want people to be arrested without verification," the apex court observes. Supreme Court asked the lawyers in the case, including the Attorney General, to file a written submission and it will hear the case after 10 days. The Supreme Court said that the question of a preliminary inquiry before an FIR or a prior permission for the arrest of a public servant comes up only when the charges are framed solely under the SC/ST (PoA) Act. The court said its order neither dilutes the provisions of the said act or affects any other offences charged under other sections of IPC or CrPC. Earlier, Amid noisy protests in the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the violence that singed large parts of the country on Monday. "The government has not diluted the provisions of the SC/ST Atrocities Act. In fact, we have strengthened the act. We have introduced provisions for the protection of victims, who are already suffered enough. Moreover, if officials are found lacking in their response to a complaint filed by anybody, we want action initiated against them as well," Rajnath Singh said. Meanwhile, at least nine people were killed in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on Monday, while thousands were detained by the police and hundreds, were left injured as the state and central governments struggled to control the massive Bharat Bandh protests that erupted across the north, west and east India over the Supreme Court’s alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act.

SC/ST Act: We are not against it, says Supreme Court but refuses to cancel earlier order

A special SC/ST court in Jodhpur, Rajasthan has directed police to file an FIR against cricketer Hardik Pandya for an alleged tweet about Ambedkar.&nbsp;

The court&#39;s order came on a petition filed by a DR Meghwal.&nbsp;

News reports quoted Meghwal as saying Pandya had posted his tweet on December 26 last year.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Which Ambedkar ??? The one who drafted a cross law and constitution or the one who spread the disease called reservation in the country,&rdquo; Pandya reportedly said in his tweet.&nbsp;

News reports quoted Meghwal as saying Pandya had hurt the sentiments of his community. And that he (Pandya) should be given &quot;adequate and suitable&quot; punishment.&nbsp;

News reports quoted the petitioner as saying Pandya had hurt the sentiments of his community. And that he (Pandya) should be given 'adequate and suitable' punishment.

A special SC/ST court in Jodhpur, Rajasthan has directed police to file an FIR against cricketer Hardik Pandya for an alleged tweet about Ambedkar. The court's order came on a petition filed by a DR Meghwal. News reports quoted Meghwal as saying Pandya had posted his tweet on December 26 last year. “Which Ambedkar ??? The one who drafted a cross law and constitution or the one who spread the disease called reservation in the country,” Pandya reportedly said in his tweet. News reports quoted Meghwal as saying Pandya had hurt the sentiments of his community. And that he (Pandya) should be given "adequate and suitable" punishment.

Court orders FIR against cricketer Hardik Pandya for tweet on Ambedkar

Poet-turned-politician Kumar Vishwas of the Aam Admi Party finds himself in the midst of another controversy.&nbsp; Last week, social media was abuzz with his viral clip saying, &ldquo;There was no casteism earlier. One man came and started agitation for the reservation and altered our social fabric&rdquo;.

Since Kumar&rsquo;s reference to this &ldquo;man&rdquo; was ambiguous.&nbsp; It was construed to be a reference to&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;B. R. Ambedkar. Many of his followers took exception to this and criticised Vishwas. Without naming Kumar Vishwas,&nbsp;AAP&rsquo;s Ashutosh tweeted that any criticism of&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;Ambedkar is condemnable. Ashutosh&#39;s tweet further fueled suspicion that Kumar was indeed talking about Babasaheb.

This forced Kumar Vishwas to clarify his position on 3rd December that he did not in any way mean to demean Dalit&nbsp;uddharak&nbsp;Parampujya Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, and the reference was to former Prime Minister V. P. Singh, particularly, his 1990 agitation for the Mandal Commission. He went on to add that vested interests within his party are creating this issue because he has asked the AAP to go back to its basics &mdash; hinting at internal party coterie who became active to eliminate him politically.

Casteism existed much before Mandal Commission

Kumar Vishwas&rsquo; clarification was bizarre. Let&rsquo;s &nbsp;assume for a moment that he didn&rsquo;t imply&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;Ambedkar. The bigger problem actually doesn&#39;t lie with his ambiguity. What he said originally in his Jaipur speech started with &nbsp;&mdash; &ldquo;Hamare Brahman&nbsp;bahul&nbsp;gaon me&nbsp;safai&nbsp;ka&nbsp;kaam&nbsp;karne&nbsp;wali Lakshmi amma mere&nbsp;dadi&nbsp;ke&nbsp;saath&nbsp;shadi&nbsp;hoke&nbsp;aayi&nbsp;thi. Woh&nbsp;meri&nbsp;ma ko&nbsp;aur&nbsp;meri&nbsp;chachi&nbsp;ko&nbsp;jara&nbsp;sa&nbsp;bhi&nbsp;ghoonghat&nbsp;niche&nbsp;reh&nbsp;jay&nbsp;sau&nbsp;galiyaa&nbsp;sunati&nbsp;thi&nbsp;aur koi problem&nbsp;nahi&nbsp;hoti&nbsp;thi&rdquo; (In my Brahmin-majority village, the women sweeper who came with my married Grandma used to scold her for not covering her head with saree, there was no issue that time, with lower caste criticising upper caste).

He continued that today any comment against another community will meet with violence. Firstly, to say that casteism did not exist earlier during his grandma&rsquo;s days is beyond absurd. For caste system has been dominating our social sphere for thousands of years, in the descending order of reverence and ascending the scale of contempt, as&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;Ambedkar had himself put it.

The Scheduled Castes and Tribes were outside the Varna system. But Kumar Vishwas seems to like that model. In his so-called Brahmin-majority village, where was the Scheduled Caste community located? Which caste traditionally did menial jobs and were denied human rights and dignity and which caste was revered just because of their birth in that caste?&nbsp;

Has&nbsp;Mr&nbsp;Vishwas heard of untouchability? If it did not exist, as per Vishwas, what was&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;Ambedkar&rsquo;s anti-untouchability fight for?

Mr&nbsp;Vishwas is clearly lying about the existence of caste system in the pre-Mandal era. And how does&nbsp;Mr&nbsp;Vishwas use his caste privilege? He proudly boasts of dropping his Brahmin surname Sharma since &ldquo;he doesn&rsquo;t believe in castism&rdquo; but he doesn&rsquo;t forget to routinely mention his &lsquo;Proud Brahmin Ancestry&rsquo; in his public appearances. For instance, while contesting in the Amethi Constituency against Rahul Gandhi in 2014, Kumar Vishwas said at a Public Rally &ldquo;I am a descendant of Chanakya and Chand Bardai, who defeated great empires. I left my job because I am a Brahmin and a Brahmin knows how to survive with begging.&rdquo;

Social commentator Vidya Bhushan Rawat says &ldquo;Kumar Vishwas uses all the Brahmanical narratives to build his case. The entire narrative and &lsquo;history&rsquo; that he speaks of is nothing but Sangh Parivar version of our history. Like them, he also narrates&nbsp;the mythologies in such &lsquo;courageous&rsquo; way that they look &lsquo;history&rsquo;.

Lakshmi, the sweeper who came as dowry along with Vishwas&rsquo; Grandma

The second and most objectionable element of Kumar Vishwas&rsquo;&nbsp;defence&nbsp;is the sweeper women who, as he recalls, used to &quot;scold his grandma&rdquo;. This&nbsp;safai&nbsp;ka&nbsp;kaam&nbsp;karne&nbsp;wali&nbsp;(cleaning lady) who came along with his Grandma as dowry was one of the most&nbsp;stigmatised&nbsp;social practice of that time. Along with dowry (cash, furniture, land, vehicle etc), there was a custom of bringing in a helper or sweeper of low caste as a dowry who used to work as a bonded labourer.

These would be mostly the people from Mehter (Scheduled Caste) community. How can a society where only people from particular caste alone do the cleaning for generations be called as a good society?&nbsp;

Former India Today (Hindi) Editor Dilip Mandal says &ldquo;How did Vishwas&rsquo; family get a Maharani in dowry? Did they consider her some kind of furniture? His irritation is that it is difficult to get SC women in dowry for cleaning anymore. How in the world is he calling the earlier era as a golden period?&rdquo;

For Mr Vishwas, the subjugation at the hands of Brahmins and Savarnas is acceptable but any assertion by lower caste is called caste-conflict? How insane!&nbsp;Mr&nbsp;Vishwas does not hesitate to use his caste privilege that he got from his generations but does not want second generation Dalit OBCs to get the facility of reservations.

V. P. Singh Did not fight for Reservation, He implemented it

Kumar Vishwas is probably unaware that V. P. Singh did not agitate for reservation. He actually implemented the Mandal Commission Report which was catching dust for years. It was&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;Ambedkar who made provision for reservation in the Constitution. Without the constitutional provisions done by him in the form of article 340, the OBC reservation would also have not been possible.

The timing of this controversy couldn&rsquo;t be more relevant. 27th November&nbsp;was the death anniversary of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh. This was around the same time that Kumar Vishwas video started getting viral. V. P. Singh was born in an upper caste royal family of Manda in Uttar Pradesh. But his incessant effort towards uplifting the Bahujan society was not just a talk. Along with implementing Mandal Commission, he ensured that portrait of Babasaheb was installed in the central hall of parliament. Imagine the bias, Architect of the Constitution did not even find a place in the central hall until 1990 where all other Savarna leaders thronged the wall.

Kumar Vishwas has&nbsp;harboured&nbsp;hatred towards former Prime Minister V. P. Singh for long. With Mandal commission and SC-ST provision, the Bahujan concept emerged and monopoly of only a few castes over everything was challenged. Today, classrooms in the highest educational institutions are most diverse, paving way for all-round development. But reservation is still cursed by the Savarnas, first by questioning the merit of the students getting admission and, lately, by questioning why only rich among the&nbsp;backwards&nbsp;was enjoying the benefits.

Many in Savarna leadership of AAP, including Arvind Kejriwal himself hold the view that reservation should be only to be taken once by a family. Is reservation poverty alleviation program? How naive is this logic? Does he even read the Constitution? Anna Hazare even went to the extent declaring reservation as the biggest threat to India and country may break apart. Really? Having a diverse workforce or classrooms breaks unity?

Those who use &ldquo;Economic Criteria&rdquo; to hide their hatred towards backward communities getting represented in some level, cannot fathom that those who used to come as dowry are now competing with them. And how much truth is there in the charge that those who have taken benefits are now rich? OBC reservation is actually only for non-creamy layers so there is no question of rich people &lsquo;grabbing&rsquo; it in the present context.

A pilot study done in 2011 had reiterated that Dalits were most underprivileged sections of the population and the easiest marker of poverty. This was 50 years after the policy of reservation came into effect, clearly indicating social status does impact the economic&nbsp;behaviour&nbsp;of the community.

Without this basic social understanding, V. P Singh, Constitution and&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;Ambedkar himself come across as villains to some. Reservation is nothing but affirmative actions and representation enshrined in our Constitution. There are many Savarnas like Kumar Vishwas in all walks of life who think reservation alone has divided the society and created resentment against those availing it.&nbsp;

When the kids themselves find first time in the college that somebody else has &lsquo;got the seat ahead of them despite getting lower marks&rsquo; it does not help. Common Savarna kids then start&nbsp;harbouring&nbsp;hatred of the system that &lsquo;create this inequality&rsquo; which in essence is actually a level playing field. Savarna dominated media&rsquo;s one-sided debate on reservation adds fuel to their fire. Now that a study has dismissed notion that reservation impacts efficiency, and if anything it only improves it, all we need is a compassionate and logical look towards the affirmative action policy and benefits of diversity.

Politicians like Vishwas cannot profess to rever Dr Ambedkar on one side but hate his idea of affirmative action on the other &mdash;especially when most of India&rsquo;s important areas, such as the judiciary, business houses, media, top bureaucracy, academia are still devoid of OBCs SC ST and minorities.

V. P Singh or reservation policy did not create casteism, it merely attempted to create an equal representation of our extremely biased society. Kumar Vishwas of the world should truly come out of not just their surname but their caste&nbsp;mould.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Politicians like Kumar Vishwas cannot profess to rever Dr Ambedkar on one side but hate his idea of affirmative action on the other, especially when most of India?s important areas are still devoid of OBCs SC ST and minorities.

Poet-turned-politician Kumar Vishwas of the Aam Admi Party finds himself in the midst of another controversy. Last week, social media was abuzz with his viral clip saying, “There was no casteism earlier. One man came and started agitation for the reservation and altered our social fabric”. Since Kumar’s reference to this “man” was ambiguous. It was construed to be a reference to Dr B. R. Ambedkar. Many of his followers took exception to this and criticised Vishwas. Without naming Kumar Vishwas, AAP’s Ashutosh tweeted that any criticism of Dr Ambedkar is condemnable. Ashutosh's tweet further fueled suspicion that Kumar was indeed talking about Babasaheb. This forced Kumar Vishwas to clarify his position on 3rd December that he did not in any way mean to demean Dalit uddharak Parampujya Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, and the reference was to former Prime Minister V. P. Singh, particularly, his 1990 agitation for the Mandal Commission. He went on to add that vested interests within his party are creating this issue because he has asked the AAP to go back to its basics — hinting at internal party coterie who became active to eliminate him politically. Casteism existed much before Mandal Commission Kumar Vishwas’ clarification was bizarre. Let’s assume for a moment that he didn’t imply Dr Ambedkar. The bigger problem actually doesn't lie with his ambiguity. What he said originally in his Jaipur speech started with — “Hamare Brahman bahul gaon me safai ka kaam karne wali Lakshmi amma mere dadi ke saath shadi hoke aayi thi. Woh meri ma ko aur meri chachi ko jara sa bhi ghoonghat niche reh jay sau galiyaa sunati thi aur koi problem nahi hoti thi” (In my Brahmin-majority village, the women sweeper who came with my married Grandma used to scold her for not covering her head with saree, there was no issue that time, with lower caste criticising upper caste). He continued that today any comment against another community will meet with violence. Firstly, to say that casteism did not exist earlier during his grandma’s days is beyond absurd. For caste system has been dominating our social sphere for thousands of years, in the descending order of reverence and ascending the scale of contempt, as Dr Ambedkar had himself put it. The Scheduled Castes and Tribes were outside the Varna system. But Kumar Vishwas seems to like that model. In his so-called Brahmin-majority village, where was the Scheduled Caste community located? Which caste traditionally did menial jobs and were denied human rights and dignity and which caste was revered just because of their birth in that caste? Has Mr Vishwas heard of untouchability? If it did not exist, as per Vishwas, what was Dr Ambedkar’s anti-untouchability fight for? Mr Vishwas is clearly lying about the existence of caste system in the pre-Mandal era. And how does Mr Vishwas use his caste privilege? He proudly boasts of dropping his Brahmin surname Sharma since “he doesn’t believe in castism” but he doesn’t forget to routinely mention his ‘Proud Brahmin Ancestry’ in his public appearances. For instance, while contesting in the Amethi Constituency against Rahul Gandhi in 2014, Kumar Vishwas said at a Public Rally “I am a descendant of Chanakya and Chand Bardai, who defeated great empires. I left my job because I am a Brahmin and a Brahmin knows how to survive with begging.” Social commentator Vidya Bhushan Rawat says “Kumar Vishwas uses all the Brahmanical narratives to build his case. The entire narrative and ‘history’ that he speaks of is nothing but Sangh Parivar version of our history. Like them, he also narrates the mythologies in such ‘courageous’ way that they look ‘history’. Lakshmi, the sweeper who came as dowry along with Vishwas’ Grandma The second and most objectionable element of Kumar Vishwas’ defence is the sweeper women who, as he recalls, used to "scold his grandma”. This safai ka kaam karne wali (cleaning lady) who came along with his Grandma as dowry was one of the most stigmatised social practice of that time. Along with dowry (cash, furniture, land, vehicle etc), there was a custom of bringing in a helper or sweeper of low caste as a dowry who used to work as a bonded labourer. These would be mostly the people from Mehter (Scheduled Caste) community. How can a society where only people from particular caste alone do the cleaning for generations be called as a good society? Former India Today (Hindi) Editor Dilip Mandal says “How did Vishwas’ family get a Maharani in dowry? Did they consider her some kind of furniture? His irritation is that it is difficult to get SC women in dowry for cleaning anymore. How in the world is he calling the earlier era as a golden period?” For Mr Vishwas, the subjugation at the hands of Brahmins and Savarnas is acceptable but any assertion by lower caste is called caste-conflict? How insane! Mr Vishwas does not hesitate to use his caste privilege that he got from his generations but does not want second generation Dalit OBCs to get the facility of reservations. V. P. Singh Did not fight for Reservation, He implemented it Kumar Vishwas is probably unaware that V. P. Singh did not agitate for reservation. He actually implemented the Mandal Commission Report which was catching dust for years. It was Dr Ambedkar who made provision for reservation in the Constitution. Without the constitutional provisions done by him in the form of article 340, the OBC reservation would also have not been possible. The timing of this controversy couldn’t be more relevant. 27th November was the death anniversary of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh. This was around the same time that Kumar Vishwas video started getting viral. V. P. Singh was born in an upper caste royal family of Manda in Uttar Pradesh. But his incessant effort towards uplifting the Bahujan society was not just a talk. Along with implementing Mandal Commission, he ensured that portrait of Babasaheb was installed in the central hall of parliament. Imagine the bias, Architect of the Constitution did not even find a place in the central hall until 1990 where all other Savarna leaders thronged the wall. Kumar Vishwas has harboured hatred towards former Prime Minister V. P. Singh for long. With Mandal commission and SC-ST provision, the Bahujan concept emerged and monopoly of only a few castes over everything was challenged. Today, classrooms in the highest educational institutions are most diverse, paving way for all-round development. But reservation is still cursed by the Savarnas, first by questioning the merit of the students getting admission and, lately, by questioning why only rich among the backwards was enjoying the benefits. Many in Savarna leadership of AAP, including Arvind Kejriwal himself hold the view that reservation should be only to be taken once by a family. Is reservation poverty alleviation program? How naive is this logic? Does he even read the Constitution? Anna Hazare even went to the extent declaring reservation as the biggest threat to India and country may break apart. Really? Having a diverse workforce or classrooms breaks unity? Those who use “Economic Criteria” to hide their hatred towards backward communities getting represented in some level, cannot fathom that those who used to come as dowry are now competing with them. And how much truth is there in the charge that those who have taken benefits are now rich? OBC reservation is actually only for non-creamy layers so there is no question of rich people ‘grabbing’ it in the present context. A pilot study done in 2011 had reiterated that Dalits were most underprivileged sections of the population and the easiest marker of poverty. This was 50 years after the policy of reservation came into effect, clearly indicating social status does impact the economic behaviour of the community. Without this basic social understanding, V. P Singh, Constitution and Dr Ambedkar himself come across as villains to some. Reservation is nothing but affirmative actions and representation enshrined in our Constitution. There are many Savarnas like Kumar Vishwas in all walks of life who think reservation alone has divided the society and created resentment against those availing it. When the kids themselves find first time in the college that somebody else has ‘got the seat ahead of them despite getting lower marks’ it does not help. Common Savarna kids then start harbouring hatred of the system that ‘create this inequality’ which in essence is actually a level playing field. Savarna dominated media’s one-sided debate on reservation adds fuel to their fire. Now that a study has dismissed notion that reservation impacts efficiency, and if anything it only improves it, all we need is a compassionate and logical look towards the affirmative action policy and benefits of diversity. Politicians like Vishwas cannot profess to rever Dr Ambedkar on one side but hate his idea of affirmative action on the other —especially when most of India’s important areas, such as the judiciary, business houses, media, top bureaucracy, academia are still devoid of OBCs SC ST and minorities. V. P Singh or reservation policy did not create casteism, it merely attempted to create an equal representation of our extremely biased society. Kumar Vishwas of the world should truly come out of not just their surname but their caste mould. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Why caste-based reservation is anathema to many

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday batted for reservation in the private sector. He also said that there should be a debate on this issue at the national level.&nbsp;

&quot;It`s my opinion that there must be reservation in the private sector too. There must be a debate on this at the national level,&quot; Nitish said at a press conference here.

Presently, the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Class (OBCs) and physically handicapped persons are entitled to reservation in educational institutions and government jobs.

Last week, the Bihar cabinet approved a proposal to bring outsourced government jobs within the ambit of reservation.This is not the first time that Nitish has demanded reservation in the private sector.On April 9 last year, he not only demanded to increase the reservation quota in jobs beyond 50 per cent, but also advocated extending the facility in the private sector.

The chief minister also criticised people opposing the Goods and Services Tax (GST).&quot;People opposing the GST must be asked when was it proposed. First VAT (value added tax) was introduced and now the GST is implemented. Therefore, transition takes time and there is no point opposing it,&quot; Nitish said.

The GST is an indirect tax which was introduced in India on July 1, 2017 and is applicable throughout India which replaced multiple cascading taxes levied by the central and state governments.He also took a dig at the critics by saying that those who are crying hoarse are actually involved in illegal trade.

&quot;Everybody knows who has relations with liquor and sand mafia. Let people speak whatever they want but all our decisions are in the interest of Bihar. Serving Bihar is serving the nation for me,&quot; Nitish claimed.He said that development is being done in every sector in Bihar and &quot;now we are indulged in social reform&quot;.The chief minister also said his government didn`t try to hide any scam.

&quot;Our officials have uncovered toilet and Bhagalpur NGO scams. It`s very unfortunate that instead of appreciation, we are being criticised,&quot; Nitish said.The Patna district administration had on Thursday uncovered misappropriation of funds to the tune of around Rs 13.50 crore, meant for construction of toilets in the state.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has demanded a probe into the alleged scam and claimed that a proper investigation would find the quantum of the fraud to be hundreds of crores of rupees.&nbsp;

Last week, the Bihar cabinet approved a proposal to bring outsourced government jobs within the ambit of reservation.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday batted for reservation in the private sector. He also said that there should be a debate on this issue at the national level. "It`s my opinion that there must be reservation in the private sector too. There must be a debate on this at the national level," Nitish said at a press conference here. Presently, the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Class (OBCs) and physically handicapped persons are entitled to reservation in educational institutions and government jobs. Last week, the Bihar cabinet approved a proposal to bring outsourced government jobs within the ambit of reservation.This is not the first time that Nitish has demanded reservation in the private sector.On April 9 last year, he not only demanded to increase the reservation quota in jobs beyond 50 per cent, but also advocated extending the facility in the private sector. The chief minister also criticised people opposing the Goods and Services Tax (GST)."People opposing the GST must be asked when was it proposed. First VAT (value added tax) was introduced and now the GST is implemented. Therefore, transition takes time and there is no point opposing it," Nitish said. The GST is an indirect tax which was introduced in India on July 1, 2017 and is applicable throughout India which replaced multiple cascading taxes levied by the central and state governments.He also took a dig at the critics by saying that those who are crying hoarse are actually involved in illegal trade. "Everybody knows who has relations with liquor and sand mafia. Let people speak whatever they want but all our decisions are in the interest of Bihar. Serving Bihar is serving the nation for me," Nitish claimed.He said that development is being done in every sector in Bihar and "now we are indulged in social reform".The chief minister also said his government didn`t try to hide any scam. "Our officials have uncovered toilet and Bhagalpur NGO scams. It`s very unfortunate that instead of appreciation, we are being criticised," Nitish said.The Patna district administration had on Thursday uncovered misappropriation of funds to the tune of around Rs 13.50 crore, meant for construction of toilets in the state. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has demanded a probe into the alleged scam and claimed that a proper investigation would find the quantum of the fraud to be hundreds of crores of rupees.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish bats for reservation in private sector

There was massive chaos at a programme attended by India&#39;s ruling party BJP President Amit Shah in Surat, Gujarat, on Thursday. 
 
Supporters of&nbsp;Hardik Patel, the face of Patidar reservation protests, damaged&nbsp;furniture and booed&nbsp;speakers including the BJP president. They also repeatedly chanted Patel&#39;s name to demonstrate their support for him. 
 
Chaos prevailed outside the venue as well as in Mota Varraccha area&nbsp;where Patidar community members from the locality hurled stones at the police. 
 
?The function was wound up hastily within minutes, with Patel leaders cutting short their speeches while Shah spoke only for four minutes amid&nbsp;sloganeering. 
 
The event was organised by prominent Patel businessmen in Surat to felicitate BJP leaders of their community in the presence of party chief Amit Shah. 
 
BJP, which is struggling hard to regain the support of numerically strong Patidars in Gujarat after the community led by Patel launched the quota agitation, made this event a prestige issue. 
 
City-based prominent businessmen formed a group called &#39;Patidar Abhivadan Samiti&#39;&nbsp;to honour new state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani, Gujarat&#39;s deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and senior&nbsp;ministers of Patel community. 
 
&quot;This felicitation of Patidar leaders is for the community, is for the state and is for the nation,&quot; said full page advertisements given in vernacular newspapers across the state by the organisation.&nbsp; 
 
The Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had earlier made its intention clear that it is going to oppose the felicitation programme. But few would have guessed that things would go out of control there. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Amit Shah's speech was curtailed amid vociferous sloganeering by supporters of Hardik Patel, the leader of a reservation agitation in India

There was massive chaos at a programme attended by India's ruling party BJP President Amit Shah in Surat, Gujarat, on Thursday. Supporters of Hardik Patel, the face of Patidar reservation protests, damaged furniture and booed speakers including the BJP president. They also repeatedly chanted Patel's name to demonstrate their support for him. Chaos prevailed outside the venue as well as in Mota Varraccha area where Patidar community members from the locality hurled stones at the police. ?The function was wound up hastily within minutes, with Patel leaders cutting short their speeches while Shah spoke only for four minutes amid sloganeering. The event was organised by prominent Patel businessmen in Surat to felicitate BJP leaders of their community in the presence of party chief Amit Shah. BJP, which is struggling hard to regain the support of numerically strong Patidars in Gujarat after the community led by Patel launched the quota agitation, made this event a prestige issue. City-based prominent businessmen formed a group called 'Patidar Abhivadan Samiti' to honour new state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani, Gujarat's deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and senior ministers of Patel community. "This felicitation of Patidar leaders is for the community, is for the state and is for the nation," said full page advertisements given in vernacular newspapers across the state by the organisation. The Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had earlier made its intention clear that it is going to oppose the felicitation programme. But few would have guessed that things would go out of control there. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Vandalism, boos mar event attended by India's ruling party president

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