Did Arjun Singh's quota gamble backfire?

Karthik · 05-19-2006, 23:43 PM

Quote:

The Rediff Special/ Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi

Did Arjun Singh's quota gamble backfire?

May 19, 2006

Why did Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh raise the reservation issue that has so quickly and deeply divided India?

According to a senior member of the powerful Congress Working Committee -- the apex deicion making unit in the party -- Singh pushed the issue to suit his own goals.

"It is all about Singh's timing. The OBC (Other Backward Classes) quota in higher education is a law and everyone knows about it. There are many laws which are not implemented or debated. But his action at a terribly wrong time has vitiated the atmosphere and the image of the government," says the senior Congress leader. He added that non-stop coverage of the issue on television has aggravated the problem.

Complete coverage: The reservation issue

The Congress is a divided house on the issue.

Till earlier this year, Arjun Singh's fortunes in the party were on the wane. There was talk that he would be shunted to some state as governor.

What the 49.5% quota is all about

Last winter, when that possibility was discussed in the inner circles of the Congress, his supporters managed to stall the move by saying that Arjun Singh could be a candidate for the President's job when A P J Abdul Kalam retires next year.

The ambitious and experienced leader had to struggle for a nomination to the Rajya Sabha. He managed to play the loyalty card before Congress president Sonia Gandhi and finally got a nomination to contest the Rajya Sabha election on March 20, which helped him keep his ministerial job.

On April 6, at a National Council of Education Research and Training function he made a reference to the Constitutional amendment and said that necessary follow-up action was underway and a decision would be made after the assembly election.

Quota: A cure worse than the disease

While the Election Commission objected to his statement because it violated the Model Code of Conduct in force during the run-up to the assembly election in five states, Congress leaders were shocked because they saw it as Arjun Singh's masterstroke to monopolise the issue and one which could not be countered easily or openly.

While playing the reservation card, Arjun Singh's twin targets were his detractors in 10, Janpath, Sonia Gandhi's home, and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Arjun Singh apparently has a problem with Dr Singh's standing in India.

During a closed-door briefing where Dr Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee were present on India's nuclear agreement with the United States, Arjun Singh asked uncomfortable questions to National Security Advisor M K Narayanan making clear that he was against the deal.

Arjun Singh is trying to fill the slot within the Congress party, which can attract the 'anti-US, anti-globalisation' and 'Centre to Left' leaders, who are averse to Manmohan Singh's policies.

How reservations fracture Hindu society

This time he carefully selected a socially sensitive and politically explosive subject, which even Sonia Gandhi could not openly oppose.

At the same time, he knew that the reservation issue has already been passed by Parliament and only that the procedures needed to be codified.

By voicing the need to speed up the actual application of law he was trying to make himself relevant again in Sonia Gandhi's darbar.

Arjun Singh has many axes to grind. After securing six years in the House of Elders he has become impatient.

In May 2004, when the Congress came to power Arjun Singh, Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel were regulars at 10, Janpath. Two years later only Patel remains close to the Congress president. Soni has been made a Cabinet minister and Azad is chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

Anti-reservation fire rages across India

Although it is debatable if Patel wields real power, Arjun Singh is unable to digest his own distance from 10, Janapath. Even Pranab Mukherjee's growing clout within the party has added to his political trauma.

Many Congressmen including Arjun Singh think that Mukherjee has teamed up with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to run the country.

Arjun Singh thinks Mukherjee's cooperation with the prime minister has earned him prime position in more than three dozen committees and has helped him improve his stock with Sonia Gandhi.

In addition, Arjun Singh cites a report by Pulak Chatterjee, additional secretary in the Prime Minister's Office who monitors the implementation of the National Common Minimum Programme. The report, Arjun Singh claims, states that work related to the implementation of the reservation bill is pending.

Indirectly, Arjun Singh implied that the PMO and Sonia Gandhi, as chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance who directly monitors the National Common Minimum Programme, wanted him to fast-forward the quota issue and he is doing it.

Also, Arjun Singh gambled that if the reservation issue can polarise the OBCs and pro-reservationists in favour of the Congress he could make political capital. This looks unlikely now because of the crude landing of the otherwise politically profitable issue.

Just how many OBCs are there?

A fact that has helped Arjun Singh more than anything else is that the media did not report extensively the impact and potential repercussions of the issue when the amendment to the Constitution was passed in Parliament.

The law was passed on December 21 last year and the President's assent was acquired on January 20, 2006. The President signed the bill a fortnight after it was sent to him. According to reports, Prime Minister Singh visited Rashtrapati Bhavan to respond to the President's queries on the bill.

The letters to state governments to take necessary action were sent out on January 24. But more could not be done due to the Election Commission guidelines in force during the assembly election.

Many within the Congress feel they could have regained lost ground in Uttar Pradesh -- where an assembly election is scheduled next year -- if the issue have been launched at the right time and marketed well to that state's electorate.

However, one man's insecurity made him pick up the issue at the wrong time.

According to sources, Arjun Singh tried unsuccessfully to take Rahul Gandhi into confidence on the issue.

Now, the Congress will try to resolve the tensions caused by the issue and buy time by communicating better with the striking doctors. In the coming days, Congress leaders will give more sound bytes to pacify the anti-quota group.

But it is clear that the party has lost its chance to make political capital out of the issue.

Link

indianguy4u · 05-19-2006, 23:51 PM

Let this chance doesnt wither away & all the educated people of this great nation come together & teach these bloody politicians some hard lessons on democracy

.

lemontree · 05-20-2006, 00:21 AM

The last time V.P Singh tried the Mandal stunt, he was finished politically, this time its Arjun Singh's turn, and the Congress party may have to pay a heavy price for this.

Karthik · 05-20-2006, 00:50 AM

Arjun Singh is old and fragile, to the extent that it looks as though tomorrow may be be his last.

But that hasn't deterred him from trying this gamble.

No political party has condemned this move on reservation because they want to protect their vote banks.

People like Kapil Sibal who opposed this have been told to keep their mouths shut.

The politicians are total rascals that mustbe taught an unforgettable lesson. Hats off to those doctors in Delhi for defying the summer heat and the letters threatening termination.

Karthik · 05-20-2006, 00:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by indianguy4u

Let this chance doesnt wither away & all the educated people of this great nation come together & teach these bloody politicians some hard lessons on democracy

.

Quite true. They ought to be lathicharged mercilessly if you ask me.

indianguy4u · 05-20-2006, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karthik

Arjun Singh is old and fragile, to the extent that it looks as though tomorrow may be be his last.

Quote:

No political party has condemned this move on reservation because they want to protect their vote banks.

And none will. All the rascals are in same boat.

Quote:

The politicians are total rascals that mustbe taught an unforgettable lesson. Hats off to those doctors in Delhi for defying the summer heat and the letters threatening termination.

What i dont understand is why isnt the leaders of protestors not calling on all educated to come forward & get this thing through. We have to teach these bloody corrupt rascals how democracy works. They have taken illiterates for a ride for too much times.

percentage_plyr · 05-20-2006, 05:39 AM

another stupid argument being put forward by the politicians is...

to increase the no. of seats so as the general candidates dont feel disadvantaged.

you cant just do that to satisfy ur personal whims.

there are fixed well-defined infrastructure requirements that should be in place to support "X" no. of seats.for eg.the MEDICAL COUNCIL OF INDIA examines wats the no. of hospital beds,area of hospital,consultants/doctors,hosp.staff,teaching facilites etc. before deciding how many seats should a MED. SCHOOL have.
u cant just increase the no. of seats in AIIMS OR IIT from 150 to 300 to keep "all the sides happy."

y?? because the infrastructure isnt in place.u ll have to first increase the no. of classrooms....teachers.....hostels.....hospital beds..to get such change into place.& tht wont happen overnight.
wld take years.the seats fiasco on the otherhand is being planned to be done soon.
so wat"ll happen........the quality of our institutes would fall if the no. of seat would increase OR if SC/ST/OBCs r given the free ride.

so.basically....in the long run.....we"re between A ROCK & A HARD PLACE.

bull · 05-20-2006, 06:07 AM

What does the article say about the amendment passed by the parliament on Dec 21?

Is this already a law???

Karthik · 05-20-2006, 07:18 AM

bull,

The amendment passed by Parliament on 21st of December didn't receive enough media attention.

Arjun Singh slyly pushed through a clause which reserved seats for the OBCs. This went unnoticed and exactly as Arjun had planned.

But apparently this act only specifies a constitutional responsibility. The actual reservation of seats needs another law to be passed.

The law ministry is supposedly very clear that another law is needed before the actual reservations can happen.

I'm hoping that it wont happen.

percentage_plyr,

Increasing the number of seats is not an option. According to Sam Pitroda, the number of IIT's ought to be increased from 7 to 70! The fool has no clue as to what he's talking!

667medic · 05-20-2006, 07:26 AM

The choothia wanted to do a vp.singh but got owned instead.
WTF is he thinking. What we need today are quality graduates to take the outsourcing jobs. We need people with good communication skills, Biotechnologists, engineers etc....
When the economy is in a roll this lund wants to damage the system irrepairably....

Vaman · 05-21-2006, 02:07 AM

Are there SC/STs within christians or sikhs?
What about those who were SC/STs and OBCs who converted to christianity/other religions? Do they continue to get benefits of the reservations?

Tronic · 05-21-2006, 02:11 AM

there are SC's within Sikhism, thats for sure... don't know about Christians...

percentage_plyr · 05-21-2006, 02:22 AM

yes.thr r OBC sikhs.....must be true with christians too.

& MEDIC,i know we"re all angry here about this.me included.but...hold ur horses there,ur doing no good by calling names when *%$#@ etc. can do.these signs serve the purpose buddy.

Karthik · 05-22-2006, 03:40 AM

I was watching Arjun Singh's interview with Karan Thapur on CNN-IBN's Devil Advocate.

The transcript of the interview is here.

The pathetic old man mumbled hopelessly when he was presented with hard facts.

He should be kicked out of the HRD Ministry.

Karthik · 05-23-2006, 22:36 PM

Quote:

Government to go ahead with 27% reservation

May 23, 2006 22:53 IST
Last Updated: May 23, 2006 23:27 IST

The United Progressive Alliance coordination committee and the Left parties have decided to implement the proposal to introduce 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Castes in higher educational institutions.

"The percentage of reservation for OBCs will be fixed at 27 per cent. Legislation for this purpose will be brought in Parliament in the monsoon session," Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters after a three-hour meeting on Tuesday night.

Mukherjee said that after the law is passed by Parliament, reservation for OBCs will be implemented in central education institutions from the academic session commencing from June 2007.

The minister added that keeping in view the interests of all sections of the students community and to meet their aspirations for opportunities for higher education, the number of seats in educational institutions under the purview of the central government will be increased.

A resolution this effect was adopted at the meeting of the UPA Coordination Committee and Left parties.

An Oversight Committee will be constituted to draw up a time-bound roadmap for implementing these decisions, the defence minister said, adding that smaller groups consisting of deans, directors and vice chancellors of the institutions concerned will be set up to work out details for each class of institutions.

The Oversight Committee will put together the recommendations of these groups and submit a comprehensive report by August 31 this year.

Mukherjee said the UPA Coordination Committee and Left parties resolved that the Centre will implement the 93rd Amendment to the Constitution, providing for reservations in educational institutions, in letter and spirit.

So its official now. There wil be 27% reservation for OBCs. There is already a 25% reservation for SC/STs.

This is outrageous and alarming!

So its like having 52% of the seats reserved witha lower percentage of marks expected as the cut-off for these categories.

Out of every 100 seats, 52 are reserved.

Merit has gone for a toss and the high standards of these institutions will be diluted!

The most discriminated people in India are those tha come under the general category.

I hope every politician supporting this move suffers a most painful death!

05-19-2006, 23:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
indianguy4u Real Madrid CF *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 03-07-05 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,213 Country:	Let this chance doesnt wither away & all the educated people of this great nation come together & teach these bloody politicians some hard lessons on democracy . __________________ Hala Madrid!!

05-20-2006, 00:21 AM	#3 (permalink)
lemontree Bandaid *Military Professional* Join Date: 10-04-04 Location: India Posts: 5,928	The last time V.P Singh tried the Mandal stunt, he was finished politically, this time its Arjun Singh's turn, and the Congress party may have to pay a heavy price for this. __________________ Cheers!...on the rocks!!

05-20-2006, 05:39 AM	#7 (permalink)
percentage_plyr Contributor Join Date: 05-12-06 Location: india Posts: 478 Country:	another stupid argument being put forward by the politicians is... to increase the no. of seats so as the general candidates dont feel disadvantaged. you cant just do that to satisfy ur personal whims. there are fixed well-defined infrastructure requirements that should be in place to support "X" no. of seats.for eg.the MEDICAL COUNCIL OF INDIA examines wats the no. of hospital beds,area of hospital,consultants/doctors,hosp.staff,teaching facilites etc. before deciding how many seats should a MED. SCHOOL have. u cant just increase the no. of seats in AIIMS OR IIT from 150 to 300 to keep "all the sides happy." y?? because the infrastructure isnt in place.u ll have to first increase the no. of classrooms....teachers.....hostels.....hospital beds..to get such change into place.& tht wont happen overnight. wld take years.the seats fiasco on the otherhand is being planned to be done soon. so wat"ll happen........the quality of our institutes would fall if the no. of seat would increase OR if SC/ST/OBCs r given the free ride. so.basically....in the long run.....we"re between A ROCK & A HARD PLACE. __________________ ALL RIGHT RESERVED, ALL WRONG AVENGED. ......and on the 8th day,God said,"OK,Murphy,now you take over!"

05-20-2006, 06:07 AM	#8 (permalink)
bull *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 01-17-05 Posts: 2,982	What does the article say about the amendment passed by the parliament on Dec 21? Is this already a law??? __________________ What's the difference between people who pray in church and those who pray in casinos? The ones in the casinos are serious.

05-20-2006, 07:26 AM	#10 (permalink)
667medic *Military Professional* Join Date: 07-22-05 Posts: 1,532 Country:	The choothia wanted to do a vp.singh but got owned instead. WTF is he thinking. What we need today are quality graduates to take the outsourcing jobs. We need people with good communication skills, Biotechnologists, engineers etc.... When the economy is in a roll this lund wants to damage the system irrepairably.... __________________ Seek Save Serve Medic

05-20-2006, 00:50 AM	#4 (permalink)
Karthik Seeker of Rivendell *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 12-15-04 Posts: 1,569 Country:	Arjun Singh is old and fragile, to the extent that it looks as though tomorrow may be be his last. But that hasn't deterred him from trying this gamble. No political party has condemned this move on reservation because they want to protect their vote banks. People like Kapil Sibal who opposed this have been told to keep their mouths shut. The politicians are total rascals that mustbe taught an unforgettable lesson. Hats off to those doctors in Delhi for defying the summer heat and the letters threatening termination.

05-20-2006, 07:18 AM	#9 (permalink)
Karthik Seeker of Rivendell *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 12-15-04 Posts: 1,569 Country:	bull, The amendment passed by Parliament on 21st of December didn't receive enough media attention. Arjun Singh slyly pushed through a clause which reserved seats for the OBCs. This went unnoticed and exactly as Arjun had planned. But apparently this act only specifies a constitutional responsibility. The actual reservation of seats needs another law to be passed. The law ministry is supposedly very clear that another law is needed before the actual reservations can happen. I'm hoping that it wont happen. percentage_plyr, Increasing the number of seats is not an option. According to Sam Pitroda, the number of IIT's ought to be increased from 7 to 70! The fool has no clue as to what he's talking!

05-21-2006, 02:07 AM	#11 (permalink)
Vaman Banished Join Date: 11-06-03 Posts: 1,043	Are there SC/STs within christians or sikhs? What about those who were SC/STs and OBCs who converted to christianity/other religions? Do they continue to get benefits of the reservations?

05-21-2006, 02:11 AM	#12 (permalink)
Tronic Navajo Code Talker *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 12-27-04 Location: Patiala, India Posts: 5,433 Country:	there are SC's within Sikhism, thats for sure... don't know about Christians... __________________ *Nabha Sparasham Deeptam* *-Touch The Sky With Glory*

05-21-2006, 02:22 AM	#13 (permalink)
percentage_plyr Contributor Join Date: 05-12-06 Location: india Posts: 478 Country:	yes.thr r OBC sikhs.....must be true with christians too. & MEDIC,i know we"re all angry here about this.me included.but...hold ur horses there,ur doing no good by calling names when *%$#@ etc. can do.these signs serve the purpose buddy.

05-22-2006, 03:40 AM	#14 (permalink)
Karthik Seeker of Rivendell *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 12-15-04 Posts: 1,569 Country:	I was watching Arjun Singh's interview with Karan Thapur on CNN-IBN's Devil Advocate. The transcript of the interview is here. The pathetic old man mumbled hopelessly when he was presented with hard facts. He should be kicked out of the HRD Ministry.

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