Kapus, Jats, Patels, Marathas; When Will the Quota Tug-o-War End?

The Centre could impose a cess to recover the losses because of violent protests over demands for job quotas.

Reservation comes handy to Indians whenever they need to fan fire, tear the nation into pieces and stymie its economic growth. In Andhra Pradesh, the Kapus agitation seeking OBC status only reinforces this view. On January 31, Kapus activists gutted eight bogies of the Ratnachal Express, burnt police stations, attacked officials on duty, disrupted road and rail communication and destroyed government properties at will.

In the process, the country was put to a loss of Rs 650 crore. Hardik Patel did the same thing in Gujarat during July-September last year. He mobilised thousands of Patidars (identified as Patel) around the demand for OBC status for his community. What followed was mayhem. Protesters lost lives in police firing, trains were attacked, buses and buildings were torched and shops were looted. Curfew was imposed in several towns, bringing life to a standstill. In the end, India suffered a loss of over Rs 850 crore.

Not to be left behind, the Jats of Haryana have made it a yearly ritual to agitate violently for quota in central government jobs under OBC category. They block national highways and squat on rail tracks cutting off the national capital from the western states. In neighbouring Rajasthan, Jats have threatened to intensify the stir if their OBC status is not restored, notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s directions to the contrary.

Rising Cost of Reservation Agitation

Gujjars, led by a maverick retired colonel, have also been leading a fierce agitation since 2007 for 5 per cent quota in government jobs under OBC category. In May 2015, his marauding troops imposed a 10-day blockade costing the exchequer over Rs 280 crore, taking a toll on 50 lives, leaving behind 100 injured.

In Maharashtra, the Marathas are on the warpath demanding 16 per cent reservation. Comically, even Brahmins, Thakurs, Vaishnavas, Sindhis, Kausara, Soni and Raghuwanshis have been smarting to have a bite at the reservation pie.

Never-ending Quota Stir

• Demands followed by violent agitation over quotas in government jobs defeat economic growth.
  
• The latest demand for job quotas comes from Kapus of Andhra Pradesh.
  
• Over the past few years, other groups such as Jats (Haryana), Gujjars (Rajasthan), Patidars (Gujarat), Marathas (Maharashtra) have been demanding OBC status.
  
• Needless to say, politicians make political gains from these agitations which cost the exchequer millions in tax-payers’ money.
  
• Government should seriously consider levying a cess to recover losses incurred in agitations.
  

Quota Dovetailed with Politics

Politicians have been quick to exploit the longings of these communities for an easy ride to prosperity. Chandrababu Naidu promised OBC status to Kapus, should he come to power. Jaganmohan Reddy and Padmanabhan, a Kapus activist, are reminding Naidu that payback time has come.

In 2003, Bhupinder Singh Hooda of Congress accorded special OBC status to Haryana’s Jats, which was struck down later by the Supreme Court. Earlier in 1999, Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave OBC status to Jats in Rajasthan, which was later replicated by Ashok Gehlot of the Congress and Vasundhara Raje Scindia of the BJP.

Raje has even gone ahead with earmarking 14 per cent reservation for economically backward upper castes. In Maharashtra, the Congress and the NCP moved a bill to provide 16 per cent reservation to Marathas. Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis got it passed in July 2014 which was later reversed by the Bombay High Court.

In this game of wresting electoral gains, every political leader is a conspirator. Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, surprisingly made no false promises to Patidars. For this audacity, she may have to pay a political price soon.

Beating the Cap

Evidently, politicians are fooling pro-reservation warlords. Everyone knows that the Supreme Court will not allow any breach of its cap of 50 per cent reservation for STs/SCs and OBCs. Yet they fight pitched battles for reservation in the elusive hope that one day the Supreme Court will get too stressed to hold on to its cap. Another stark reality is that the current crop of SC, ST and OBC leaders will never agree that other caste groups eat out of their quota.

So how do you meet demands of Kapus, Jats, Gujjars, Patidars and Marathas? One option is that states, with help from agitators, put relentless pressure on the Supreme Court to force it to incrementally lift the cap. But if the Supreme Court refuses to budge, law enforcement agencies will have their hands full in protecting national economic assets.

Impose Another Cess?

Another option is that we craft a formula to accommodate, for instance Kapus, within the OBC framework. However, its acceptance to a nation that never ceases to fight with itself is most unlikely. One last thought. When Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presents the Union budget on February 29, he should seriously consider levying a cess to recover losses incurred during these agitations and say so unambiguously to the mute majority.

(The writer is a former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat)