Caste Wars in the UK

From: Nagindas Khajuria 

Published: Asian Voice

Date: Saturday, 15 September, 2007

Subject: Caste Wars

Anuja Preshar's article (AV, Page 15, Sep 3) is extremely interesting. She is writing about the efforts being made by UK, US and German governments, 16 UK members of parliament and charities such as Christian Solidarity Worldwide, CARE, Christian Aid, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Christian Democrats and the International Democratic Union to target "Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes" in India. Their objective would be to "help them and give them aid" with a view to convert them Christianity and/or just to improve their lives and their future.

It is unfortunately still true that the upper classes, Hindus, Muslims, Christians and others still ill treat and discriminate against the lower and/or poorer classes, although not to the extent practised in the past. This is a challenge to this group to care and uplift these people in competition with the Europeans who could unwittingly destabilise the nation.

It is also unfortunately true that most of the above as well as others, who are now known as "Other Backward Classes" (OBCs) do not know how to read or write. Those known as "SCs" are scheduled caste, mainly harijans and, those known as "STCs" are scheduled tribal castes, also known as "adivasis".

Fortunately, our leaders had more vision than the above Europeans when India became independent. Part X of the Indian Constitution relates to "The Scheduled and Tribal Areas". Schedule V applies to the administration and control of Scheduled Areas (backward areas) and Scheduled Tribes in any other state other than the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram per article 244. The provisions of Schedule VI applies to the latter four states per article 245.

The Constitution enabled the Central and State Governments to implement positive discrimination in education, welfare, politics, health, etc. This has been practised for almost 60 years and the above groups size of those below the poverty line has been reduced from about 50% to 60% to 20% to 30%. There have been annual or periodic reports on their conditions and there are two Commissions, one for scheduled tribes and one for scheduled castes who regularly monitor their welfare.

Recently, there have been some problems when illiterate persons are granted seats in parliaments and state governments because of the reservation system, and some of these people are now known as "vote banks" and are being manipulated by the more educated or wealthier members of parliament, etc. Those who engage in such practises should surely be prosecuted and punished heavily. Still this should not let us lose the wider benefits the lower castes have benefited from overall. Minorities, esp. black and brown skinned, continue to be discriminated against specially in Europe and U S, Canada, and Australia. Perhaps it is time they introduce some positive discrimination in their favour to counter balance the prejudice.

Finally, I believe the Indian Constitution has provided for abolition of affirmative action and reserved seats for scheduled castes and tribes 60 years from the inception of the Constitution. So time may be coming soon when all Indians will be equal in the eyes of the law in India.

Nagin Khajuria