2006 Indian anti-reservation protests
2006 Indian anti-reservation protests | |
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Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in central and private institutes of higher education |
The 2006 Indian anti-reservation protests were a series of protests that took place in India in 2006 in opposition to the decision of the
The government proposed to reserve 27% of seats in the premier educational institutions of India like
Historical background
Origin of reservation
India is divided into many
In 1989, the then-
Extension of 27% reservation
On 5 April 2006, Congress leader and then-
The text of the 93rd amendment reads-
Greater access to higher education including professional education, is of great importance to a large number of students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and other socially and educationally backward classes of citizens. The reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes of citizens in admission to educational institution is derived from the provisions of clause(4) of article 15 of the constitution. At present, the number of seats available in aided or State maintained institutions, particularly in respect of professional education, is limited, in comparison to those in private aided institutions.
Clause(i) of article 30 of the Constitution provides the right to all minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. It is essential that the rights available to minorities are protected in regard to institutions established and administered by them. Accordingly, institutions declared by the State to be minority institutions under clause(1) of article 30 are excluded from the operation of this enactment.
To promote the educational advancement of the socially and educationally backward classes of citizens,i.e., the Other Backward Classes or of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in matters of admission of students belonging to these categories in unaided educational institutions, other than the minority educational institutions referred to in clause(1) of article 30, the provisions of article 15 were amplified. The new clause(5) of said article 15 shall enable the Parliament as well as the State legislatures to make appropriate laws for the above mentioned purpose.[6]
This move led to opposition from students, as the proposal would reduce seats for the general category from the existing 77.5% to less than 51% (since members of OBCs are also allowed to contest in the General category), despite assurance from the government that the number of seats in these educational institutes will be increased so that effectively there will be no reduction in the number of seats available for the general category. The opposing students also felt that the government's move was merely to placate and consolidate the OBC vote bank. The private sector organisations too opposed the move, saying it would impede merit and reduce the competitiveness of the students.[7]
Events
The protests began from 26 April 2006 with medical students protesting in New Delhi against the government's proposal, where students were lathi-charged and water cannons and tear gas were fired on the students.[8][9] Another such protest was carried out by medical students in New Delhi on 13 May 2006 where students were again lathi-charged and detained for few hours.[10] Medical students held a protest in Mumbai on 14 May 2006, where students were lathi-charged, despite the protest being banned by the Bombay High Court.[11] They were lathi-charged by the police.[11] In retaliation of the police action toward the anti-reservation protestors, a nationwide strike was launched by the "anti-reservation" medical students. Doctors from all over India who opposed the government's proposal too joined the protest.
The government took measures to counter the protesting doctors by serving them with suspension letters and asking them to vacate the hostels to make way for newly recruited doctors. Some states invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and gave notices to the doctors to return to work, failing which legal action would be taken against them. The government also put on alert 6,000 men from the Rapid Action Force to take care of any untoward incident. However, in most places the protesters remained defiant despite ESMA. Most forward caste students across India took to the streets, boycotting classes. In Delhi, a human chain rally was organized on 20 May by the students of IIT Delhi with the support of PanIIT, the IIT alumni organisation, to protest the OBC reservation. Nearly 150 students of New Delhi's 5 Medical Colleges went on a 'relay' hunger strike in AIIMS which lasted for about a month.
A resolution signed by 2,500
Roll back of the proposed hike in reservations.
Setting up of an academic, non-political panel of experts to review the existing reservation policy and explore alternate forms of affirmative action.
Vacant positions in reserved government jobs to be thrown open for other eligible candidates.
No penal action be taken against the protesters.
A white paper issued on the reservation policy and a concrete statement on the issue by the Prime Minister.[13]
After the government reaffirmed its commitment to implementing reservations, the protesters called for a "Civil disobedience movement".[14] Their protests were also supported by the traders in Delhi, who threatened to shut shops if the government didn't roll back on its decision to extend the OBC reservation. The AIIMS Faculty Association went on a mass casual leave from 25 May 2006 to support the anti-quota stir, but made it clear that basic health-care services would not be disrupted. However, whether health care services were really unaffected is questionable.[14] On 27 May 2006, a massive rally was organised in Delhi. The rally was attended by participants from all over India, numbering almost 100,000. It was declared that the strike by students and junior doctors would continue.[15]
On 28 May 2006, the government set up an Oversight Committee to "prepare a road map with a time-bound programme to implement 27% reservation for OBCs without compromising merit and addressing apprehensions aired by students propose an effective way to implement reservations keeping the interests of all sections of society in mind". This committee, headed by Union Minister and former
On 31 May 2006, in deference to the Supreme Court directive, resident doctors resumed hospital works from 1 June 2006, as the health service was affected seriously due to the strike. However, protest from the part of students (both medical and other streams) continued and a national coordination committee comprising representatives of medical colleges, IITs and several other educational institutions had been proposed to be formed to lead the agitation.[17] The Supreme Court has also sought the government to clarify the basis on which the reservation policy was being implemented.[18] However, these protests slowly died down and eventually ended.
Political reactions and opinions
The 93rd Constitutional Amendment was passed unanimously in the Lok Sabha except for two abstaining members.[4] Barring a few, most of the political parties supported the move to extend the OBC reservation to premier educational institutions.
Supporting parties
- The parliamentary left parties, while supporting reservations, called for excluding the "creamy layer" from availing of its benefits;[19] the "creamy layer" is used in reference to members of economically advanced population belonging to any caste.
- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also supported the reservations, but called for upholding merit and excellence in educational institutes. They asked for the benefits of reservation to be extended to "economically weaker sections of the forward castes", and also for exclusion of the "creamy layer".[20] The student wing of the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad too supported the reservation for OBC's, hailing them as a "historic need", but they also called for exclusion of the "creamy layer".[21]
- The Congress, which introduced these quotas, vociferously backed them. Congress workers allegedly confronted the fasting doctors at AIIMS. They were headed by Sacchar Singh, a relative of Arjun Singh. They proceeded with heavy slogan-shouting. It almost became a show-down between both camps; however, the police managed to stop these workers.
- The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), a pro-Dalit party, urged the Union Government to ban the strike by the anti-reservation students and go ahead with its decision to provide reservation for the Other Backward Classes in higher education.[22]
- The Dravidian parties of Tamil Nadu supported the move and demanded that the OBC reservation quotas be implemented without any delay. They called upon the government to pay no heed to the anti-reservation protestors. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a key constituent of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance in Tamil Nadu, went to the extent of organising a pro-reservation protest march in Chennai.[23]
- The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Lalu Prasad Yadav openly supported the OBC reservation proposal and requested the UPA not to reconsider or delay it.[24]
- The Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) too supported the OBC quotas and said that granting of facilities to SCs, STs and OBCs for higher education had become a subject of "unnecessary debate".[25]
- The Samajwadi Party condemned the anti-reservation protests, and said that the attitude of the protesting students toward reservation was wrong.[26]
Opposing parties
- The only political party which opposed the OBC reservation was the Marathi nationalist party Shiv Sena. Its supporters went on a procession in Mumbai to protest the move saying it was vote bank politics and a means to divide Hinduism.
Aftermath
On 10 April 2008, the Supreme Court upheld the law for the provision of 27% quota for candidates belonging to the
See also
- Forward Castes
- Other Backward Class
- Reservation in India
- Mandal Commission
- Mandal Commission protests of 1990
- V. P. Singh
- Arjun Singh
Notes
- ^ "From Mandal Commission to Emergency: 5 student movements that shook governments".
- ^ Rao, S.L. (5 June 2006). "TOO MANY BOSSES - The UPA has a cabinet with many insubordinate ministers". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. Archived from the original on 26 June 2006. Retrieved 5 June 2006.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu swims against the tide". The Statesman. 31 August 2006. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
- ^ a b "93rd Constitutional Amendment". Archived from the original on 13 May 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "No way out: Private sector has to implement quota". cnn ibn, Global News Network. 1 June 2006. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2006.
- ^ India 2008, Pg 1152
- ^ "Reservation shadowlines - Indian Express". The Indian Express. 8 April 2006.
- ^ "Students protesting reservation tear-gassed, cane-charged". oneindia.com. 26 April 2006.
- ^ "Students and doctors protest reservation/affirmative-action system in India, 2006-2008 | Global Nonviolent Action Database". nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu.
- ^ "Medicos hit streets with anti-reservation rally". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 13 May 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2008.
- ^ a b Senior Inspector justifies lathi-charge[permanent dead link]
- ^ IIT-Roorkee students oppose reservation
- ^ "Charter of Demands". Youth for Equality. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2006.
- ^ a b "Medicos launch 'civil disobedience' campaign - Rediff.com India News". Rediff.com.
- ^ "Medicos snub govt, say strike will continue". cnn ibn, Clobal Broadcast News. 27 May 2006.
- ^ "Oversight Committee on quota to meet on Tuesday". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2006.
- ^ "Court's strong dose works, doctors call off strike". cnn ibn, Global Broadcast News. 31 May 2006.
- ^ Prabhat, Abhishek (29 May 2006). "Court questions India quota offer". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 January 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
- ^ "Left Parties Demand Creamy Layer Concept in OBC quota". Archived from the original on 29 May 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2006.
- ^ "BJP backs quota but wants benefit for poor among forward castes". The Hindu. 30 May 2006.
- ^ "ABVP supports quota for OBCs". The Hindu. 19 May 2006.
- ^ "BSP stages dharna against anti-reservation stir". The Hindu. 27 May 2006.
- ^ "NDTV.com". www.ndtv.com.[dead link]
- ^ "No reconsideration for OBC quota, says Lalu". Rediff.com.
- ^ "Reservation row: Sack Sibal, says JD (U) chief - news.outlookindia.com". archive.is. 24 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013.
- ^ "MPs condemn anti-reservation protest - Hindustan Times". 24 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013.
- ^ Mahapatra, Dhananjay (11 April 2008). "SC allows 27% quota for OBCs". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
- ^ "SC okays 27% quota for OBCs in higher studies- Politics/Nation-News-The Economic Times". The Times of India. 11 April 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
- ^ "NDTV.com: SC upholds 27 per cent OBC quota in educational institutions". Archived from the original on 11 April 2008.
- ^ "Breaking News Online: Breaking News! Supreme Court upholds OBC Quota in Educational Institutions". Breaking News Online. Archived from the original on 14 April 2008.
- ^ "Supreme Court upholds Governments OBC quota in higher educational institutions". Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
- ^ "Supreme Court upholds law for 27% OBC quota". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 14 April 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
- ^ "Supreme Court upholds Government's OBC quota in higher educational institutions | Latest News". Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
References
- Research, Reference and Training Division (2008). India 2008. New Delhi: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. ISBN 978-81-230-1488-3.