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Do away with quota

There should be no caste-based reservation. For, it is the common people who bear the brunt of this quota system. Education should be available at affordable rates to all so that financially weaker sections also get a level playing field. The quota policies have no reasoning and are solely driven by vested interests. For once, let us forget the politics of reservation.

In a lighter vein, since our politicians know the politics of reservation so well, they should protest at the UN headquarters and try to get reserved a permanent seat in the Security Council for India.

Jagdeep Singh Batth, via email

Give quota to Rajputs

Since the shudras were an exploited lot, the government sought to undo their sufferings of centuries by providing reservation and other benefits to the castes that sprang up from the shudra clan. But there is another face of this Vedic culture coin. The kshatriyas (Rajputs, Jats and other martial races) were the men or the first column to lay down their lives in battles and faced intruders who came into India. The sons of this warrior clan laid down their lives for the cause of society and to enable other varnas to live. History is witness to the fact that lakhs of kshatriyas died in battles. To be a kshatriya was full of risk. And battles in those days were common. Keeping in view their sacrifice in the past, they deserve a sizeable reservation in government jobs and and in other socio-econonomic schemes offered by the government to SCs, STs and OBCs.

MOHINDER S. THAKUR, Manali

Politics on quota

The comment “political parties exploit angst of the deprived” in the editorial “A shortsighted move: The UPA plays politics over reservations” (March 4) echoes the voice of millions of people. The Cabinet decision to concede OBC status to 8.25 crore Jats could open the Pandora’s box of similar claims among banias, brahmins and Punjabis in North India.

But reservations cannot be the panacea to unemployment. The Congress-led government has adopted this electoral tactic to win over the Jats. Not to be left behind, the Punjab Cabinet has also decided to include the Punjabi Jats in the Backward Classes category. This politically motivated decision has not been accepted by the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) which has pointed out that that there is a Constitutional cap of 50 per cent on all categories of reservations. The NCBC has trashed the Haryana Backward Classes Commission report also which has recommended 10 per cent reservation for the Jats, Jat Sikhs, Bishnois, Rors and Tyagis. It is true that many Jats have been hit hard by poverty and unemployment. But the same is the case of other upper and middle castes.

Dr RAJ BAHADUR YADAV, Fatehabad

Take Roy to task

The SC decision to put Sahara chief Subrata Roy behind the bars is laudable. His absence from court proceedings has kept justice on hold. Roy dishonoured the summons from the court on the pretext of his ailing mother but didn’t forget to attend the marriage of Hema Malini’s daughter a few days ago. His justification given in full page advertisements in national dailies is contempt of court and he must be punished for that as well. He has a chain of establishments which can be sold to recover the dues. Setting him free on verbal assurance will be a blunder.

Deepjot S Thukral, Ambala Cantt

SC nets big fish

Apropos the front page news item “SC sends Sahara boss to Tihar” (March 5), it is heartening that we have the Supreme Court which does not spare even the big fish. Here is a man who has been browbeating the law for long and fooling the poor investors. Subrata Roy, displaying vulgar luxury, and hobnobbing with politicians and celebrities, owes about ~20,000 crore to poor investors. No wonder, somebody threw ink on his face, shouting: “Sahara chor hai.” On the one side is this poor investor trying to shame a fraudster, and on the other side are our cricketers and other celebrities, including a Bharat Ratna, who back the Sahara group. Let’s hope that people stop getting carried away by such richie rich crooks and value honesty and simplicity of life.

Col R D Singh (retd), Ambala Cantt

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