Garima LekhwaniAIR 136 · CSE 2016 · 231 wordsTheir whole copy
Opening · a constitutional or legal provision
Reservation policy is a component of Affirmation Action undertaken by the Indian state to reverse the historical injustices meted out to backward castes as mentioned in Articles 15(4), 16(4) of the Indian Constitution.
Body · continuous prose
Reservation Policy has introduced mobility in the caste system and has provided the benefits of development to the deprived sections, making social order more harmonic and decline in caste based atrocities, etc.
Moreover, reservation benefits in education, govt jobs has led to economic empowerment of backward castes which has led to political & cultural empowerment and overall rise in secular hierarchy. This has made Indian social order more egalitarian, and achievement driven and harmonic.
However, M. Galanter indicates how reservation policy has created new form of caste conflicts, as witnessed in recent Jat, Patidar agitations. Higher castes are now seeking de-sanskritization to seek reservation benefits on economic criteria, etc.
A. Beteille, too in his analysis of reservation policy support reservation for SCs but not for OBCs. He added that the Anti Mandal agitation has been the worst form of caste polarisation since Indian independence.
Close · a summary
The caste conflicts thus resulting from reservation policy has in turn widening caste based divides, weakening social solidarity, encouraging caste based atrocities making Dumont's assertion true that caste can never disappear in India. This can however be summed up in P. Kolenda's assertion, how organic solidarity of caste has given way to competitive solidarity.