Mangalore, December 11: The embracing of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation (LPG) economic policy in 1991 was an attempt to spoil the chances of backward classes in obtaining reservations in employment. Backward classes and minorities must be given reservation in private sector, said N Mahesh, State Convenor, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Karnataka.
He was speaking at a seminar on reservation in private sector organized by Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in Mangalore on Tuesday.
Reservation is always opposed with the argument of merit. By putting forth the argument of merit, it is being implied that the backward classes are useless and unfit for the job, which is wrong. Bill Gates provided 15% reservation to blacks in his company and from his own admission, he found them to be more effecientand honest than the whites, said Mr. Mahesh. He also put forth the 30% reservation in private sector reform brought about by Mayavati in her tenure as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister according to which she made companies enter into a PPP agreement wherein 10% of reservation would be provided for SC/STs, 10% for OBCs and minorities and the oter 10% for poor people from other castes, he said, and urged that it be implemented by the central government too. “Reservation is not for charity, but for parity”, he said.
Although there is a lot of private sector activity happening in the country, the backward classes are not benefiting enough, Mr. Mahesh said. “The Karnataka government talks about Global Investors Meet and providing 12 lakh jobs. Who are the people who benefit here? Examples of Wipro and Infosys are in front of us. 90% of them who get in there are Brahmins. What do we get? The private companies are provided land, water and electricity by the government and the government is elected by us. We need our share in the private sector”, Mr. Mahesh said.
The concept of reservation in India has existed in the past too, he said. “Way back in 185 B.C, there was reservation provided by the 'Manusmriti' or the code of Manu. According to it, there was 100% reservation for Brahmins in education, 100% reservation for Kshatriyas in administration, 100% reservation for Vaishyas in properties and 100% reservations for Shudras in jobs meant to serve these three classes”, he said.
Briefing about the attempts made in the past to introduce reservation for backward classes, Mr. Mahesh said that Chatrapathi Sahu Maharaj of Kohlapur and Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar had carved out reservations in jobs for non-Brahmin and backward classes in their tenures which were opposed by Lokamanya Tilak and Sir M Vishweshwarayya respectively.
'Mandal Commission report and Babri issue connected'
Stating that after independence the Congress never really bothered to give reservations to backward classes a serious thought, Mr. Mahesh said that it took Kanshiram's BSP to come into force to start a movement demanding the implementation of the Mandal Commission report. “Sensing the SC/STs in UP taking side of the BSP, the Congress wanted to attract the Hindu vote bank and hence the lock was opened at Babri Masjid during Rajiv Gandhi's time. To give momentum to Ram Mandir sentiment, the programme Ramayana was aired on TV. All this was a grand plan of the Congress”, he said.
HT Srinivas, State President, Sir M Vishweshwarayya Technical Graduates' Association, Abdul Jaleel K, President, SDPI, DK, Akbar Ali, Chief Secretary, SDPI, DK, were present.
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