PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2005 ID-44426
.
---.... ,,,TA .
anu-resenationwallahsI.. actua11v suppon 20May.
100% reservation for the upper caste/ u.
c .
speaking, arguing passionately about how reservation is destroying the nation. Their nation. erThe newspapers and TV channels have been full ofthem -well-educated and well-dressed, articulate, English-.
Last evening, they spilled into the JNU campus, faithfully followed by a doting TV camera crew. Except, th9' .
believe. JNU heard their war cry, "Galli ka kutta kaisa ho, SC-STjaisa ho ", which, indeed, is a true and eloquent so-called anti-reservation protesters were anything but peaceful or socially sensitive, as the media would have us.
masquerade as patriotism. What's worse, they had the nerve to do it in our name -in the name ofthe entire JNU .
I revoexprltessing ioprejn of udices the reaof l na atminority ure ofan(albeit ti-reservaa vocal tion apond litipcs, riviwheleged re one) caste in and the cnlass ame haof tredthe , and entire naked youth self-interest of this country? community (that too when outsiders comprised most oftheir rally). How dare they? How dare they justify brutality and There was an immediate spontaneous gathering ofJNU students, who stood firmly for affirmative action and social .
pro-reservation students were also physically beaten up. .
justice. The response from the 'equality' (sic) rally was casteist and sexist abuse. It wasn't just verbal violence. The .
.
that maintains and preserves the brahminical 'natural order ofthings', where the 'meritorious' upper caste-upper .
.
All this begs the question, what is this nation, this so-called meritocracy that they are out to protect? A nation .
class will forever remain meritorious, subsidized by the lower castes who will clean their shoes (and make their food, .
keep their houses and produce social surplus for them to expropriate). At least that's the image that seems to move the .
otherwise apathetic privileged students from elite institutions-images ofclean-cut, upper caste doctors polishing .
.
shoes on the streets. What could be more perverse?As for 'Merit'-are we so naiVe that we don't understand that it is a construct determined by the cold, .
social atmosphere (all ofwhich only money can buy), where would their 'merit' be? Ifanything, this is being exclusionary logic ofthe market. Ifthe upper castes didn't have access to sophisticated education-,·and a conducive formalized by the formation ofprivate colleges and capitation fee 'quotas'. But, just remind us, when's the last time you saw junior doctors strike work or upper caste students take out a rally against these quotas? .
Will some people always remain more equal than others? Our "meritorious" friends refuse to admit a simple for generations. That the number ofbackward caste in institutes ofhigher education or in white collar jobs, .
government or private, remains less than miniscule. Yet, it is these castes which constitute the majority ofIndia's .
truth-that the dalits, tribals and OBCs, particularly the women, have been victims ofsocial and economic oppression .
population. For instance, 52% oflndia is OBC. And less than 20% ofthem make it past school. Just look around. The .
.
universities, the IITs, medical coJieges, the offices, the courts, the police stations-they are all filled with upper castes. that doing away with affirmative actions like reservation actually means enforcing another, far brutal kind of And then ask yourself, what is the percentage ofupper castes in India? How much 'merit' does it take to understandcaste character ofthis creme de Ia creme layer.).
Unemployment reservation-90% ofemployment and education for just the top 10% ofthe population. (No prizes for guessing the.
ofthe anti-reservationists, the caste and class hatred, overt or latent, is fueled by a genuine fear, that ofunemployment .
and lack ofaccess to higher education-a problem that affects us all Amongst a section .
and fewer university seats. Hundreds ofhungry mouths lunging at one little piece ofbread. Yes, we need an economic .
policy that creates more jobs, makes education more accessible for all. But rolling back reservation will not create that. .
On the contrary, it will strengthen the elitist logic ofprivatisation and liberalisation that is behind the job crunch. So, .
.
growth.scraping the new economic policy that makes much ofreservation redundant with its monstrous model ofjobless .The protest was spirited and spontaneous. JNUSU leaders, as per their standard operating procedure, were the .
last evening, when JNU students stood firm on their support for social justice, radical voices also raised the question of.
last to arrive on the scene; and the first to claim credit for yet another 'successful protest'. As one has seen often .
justice will not be an exception. .
enough, real struggles in JNU happen not because ofJNUSU leadership, but in spite ofthem. The struggle for social .
..,._..,,._ .
.. -I .
-.
.
.
shackles of discrimination around their merit. .
.
PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2005 ID-44426
.
---.... ,,,TA .
anu-resenationwallahsI.. actua11v suppon 20May.
100% reservation for the upper caste/ u.
c .
speaking, arguing passionately about how reservation is destroying the nation. Their nation. erThe newspapers and TV channels have been full ofthem -well-educated and well-dressed, articulate, English-.
Last evening, they spilled into the JNU campus, faithfully followed by a doting TV camera crew. Except, th9' .
believe. JNU heard their war cry, "Galli ka kutta kaisa ho, SC-STjaisa ho ", which, indeed, is a true and eloquent so-called anti-reservation protesters were anything but peaceful or socially sensitive, as the media would have us.
masquerade as patriotism. What's worse, they had the nerve to do it in our name -in the name ofthe entire JNU .
I revoexprltessing ioprejn of udices the reaof l na atminority ure ofan(albeit ti-reservaa vocal tion apond litipcs, riviwheleged re one) caste in and the cnlass ame haof tredthe , and entire naked youth self-interest of this country? community (that too when outsiders comprised most oftheir rally). How dare they? How dare they justify brutality and There was an immediate spontaneous gathering ofJNU students, who stood firmly for affirmative action and social .
pro-reservation students were also physically beaten up. .
justice. The response from the 'equality' (sic) rally was casteist and sexist abuse. It wasn't just verbal violence. The .
.
that maintains and preserves the brahminical 'natural order ofthings', where the 'meritorious' upper caste-upper .
.
All this begs the question, what is this nation, this so-called meritocracy that they are out to protect? A nation .
class will forever remain meritorious, subsidized by the lower castes who will clean their shoes (and make their food, .
keep their houses and produce social surplus for them to expropriate). At least that's the image that seems to move the .
otherwise apathetic privileged students from elite institutions-images ofclean-cut, upper caste doctors polishing .
.
shoes on the streets. What could be more perverse?As for 'Merit'-are we so naiVe that we don't understand that it is a construct determined by the cold, .
social atmosphere (all ofwhich only money can buy), where would their 'merit' be? Ifanything, this is being exclusionary logic ofthe market. Ifthe upper castes didn't have access to sophisticated education-,·and a conducive formalized by the formation ofprivate colleges and capitation fee 'quotas'. But, just remind us, when's the last time you saw junior doctors strike work or upper caste students take out a rally against these quotas? .
Will some people always remain more equal than others? Our "meritorious" friends refuse to admit a simple for generations. That the number ofbackward caste in institutes ofhigher education or in white collar jobs, .
government or private, remains less than miniscule. Yet, it is these castes which constitute the majority ofIndia's .
truth-that the dalits, tribals and OBCs, particularly the women, have been victims ofsocial and economic oppression .
population. For instance, 52% oflndia is OBC. And less than 20% ofthem make it past school. Just look around. The .
.
universities, the IITs, medical coJieges, the offices, the courts, the police stations-they are all filled with upper castes. that doing away with affirmative actions like reservation actually means enforcing another, far brutal kind of And then ask yourself, what is the percentage ofupper castes in India? How much 'merit' does it take to understandcaste character ofthis creme de Ia creme layer.).
Unemployment reservation-90% ofemployment and education for just the top 10% ofthe population. (No prizes for guessing the.
ofthe anti-reservationists, the caste and class hatred, overt or latent, is fueled by a genuine fear, that ofunemployment .
and lack ofaccess to higher education-a problem that affects us all Amongst a section .
and fewer university seats. Hundreds ofhungry mouths lunging at one little piece ofbread. Yes, we need an economic .
policy that creates more jobs, makes education more accessible for all. But rolling back reservation will not create that. .
On the contrary, it will strengthen the elitist logic ofprivatisation and liberalisation that is behind the job crunch. So, .
.
growth.scraping the new economic policy that makes much ofreservation redundant with its monstrous model ofjobless .The protest was spirited and spontaneous. JNUSU leaders, as per their standard operating procedure, were the .
last evening, when JNU students stood firm on their support for social justice, radical voices also raised the question of.
last to arrive on the scene; and the first to claim credit for yet another 'successful protest'. As one has seen often .
justice will not be an exception. .
enough, real struggles in JNU happen not because ofJNUSU leadership, but in spite ofthem. The struggle for social .
..,._..,,._ .
.. -I .
-.
.
.
shackles of discrimination around their merit. .
.