Statement from National Alliance of People's Movements Regarding Caste-Based Reservations

*NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS*
c/o A wing, 1st Floor, Haji Habib Bldg.,NaigaonCross Rd., Dadar (E),
Mumbai-400014
Phone 022-24150529,napmmumbai@riseup.net, sansahil@vsnl.com,
medha@narmada.org

Press Note/ May 21, 2006
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*RESERVATIONS WILL ADD TO EFFICIENCY, CREATIVITY: GOVT. SHOULD NOT
BACKTRACK: IMPLEMENT PAST POLICIES: CARE FOR NEEDY STUDENTS *

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The People's Movements all over India demand that the Union government must
implement the constitutional amendment to reserve the seats for the other
backward communities without any delay and see that all the earlier
policies, decisions assurances regarding the affirmative actions in favour
of the backward castes are implemented fully.

We condemn the deliberate lethargy on part of governments regarding
implementing already approved policies of Mandal Commision recommendations.
Even now, thousands of seats in educational and professional arena are not
filled - rather they are made 'open' for want of 'suitable candidates' from
the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or backward classes. We demand that
all the unfilled seats must be filed with the due representation of the
concerned classes.

With this we make a strong plea for strengthening the common school policy,
common technical and higher education policy and equipping them with quality
education, resources and due attention. The newly introduced elitist
streak in the higher technical education should be abolished. There should
be common public institutions imparting finest quality technical and
professional education. The privatization and coprporatization of
education and highly technical profession must stop. They are being educated
and employed on the basis of public spending. So they must follow the wishes
of the people of this country. Therefore there should also be reservations
for the backward classes in private enterprises.

For Efficiency and Creativity

The policy of reservations for the deprived classes in the higher and
technical education and professions is an opportunity to add to the quality,
creativity and efficiency in the educational and professional fields. The
reservations must be seen not as 'doling out' something for the 'deprived
classes', but it is mark of adding to the experiences, creativity and
knowledge bases of various aspects in our public life. Over 70 percent of the
workforce in the country is not just manual laborers; they come with their
own intelligence, imaginativeness, innovations and resourcefulness. It would
make our productive processes and economy varied and richer. Just look at
U.S. and other countries where all sections of populations are brought in
the vortex of education, sports and other professions. We have to be proud
of the fact that we would be much richer nation with the participation of
such brains in our social-economic activities in such a large and varied
scale.

From all these angles, it is high time that the private institutions,
industries and service sector also must be made to accept the reservation
policy. These industries will have to be made aware that they operate in
India, and they will have to follow the Indian Constitution and law. If they
threaten to go outside India, let them go and we shall see whether they get
such subsidized water, land, cheap labour, pliant state elsewhere in the
world. These industrialists are not making any favor for the people; rather
they exploit the people and resources of this country. In this connection,
we also disapprove and will oppose the policies of creating 'special
economic zones' (SEZ), where no India laws would be applicable.

Though we quite understand the apprehensions in the minds of the students
and professionals from the general categories regarding the narrowing space
for competition, that alone cannot be reason for opposing the reservations
for the hitherto backward communities. The Union and concerned state
governments should initiate the steps as to help the poor and deprived
students and professionals in the general category.

The unemployment and narrowing down the space for more employment and
educational opportunities is not due to the reservations of seats, but due
to the neo-liberal political economy that the ruling class in India has
adopted in collusion with the global capital. Even without the reservations,
the employment and education opportunities in various jobs in India are
being eroded and thousands of people are thrown out of existing jobs. We
demand that the Union and state governments must end the embargo on the jobs
in the public sector and should start thinking of creating more jobs.

We appeal to the agitating students and professionals not to hold
reservations responsible for their anxiety and to understand the deeper
economic crisis we all have been thrown. We also expect the supporters of
the reservations to reason with the agitating students and take them along,
caring for their sensitivities and interests. The young student and
professional community must not be pitted against each other, who otherwise
are the harbinger of the future changes and struggle in this country. We
have to strengthen a united struggle against the common adversary in form of
national and multinational corporate and imperialist vested interests.

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Medha Patkar
National Convenor **

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*Sanjay M.G.*
*P. Chennaiah*
National Co-Convenors

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*Sanjay Sangvai*