The bloody war of “caste based reservation”
First Jats in Haryana, then Patidars aka Patels in Gujarat, and now the Marathas in Maharashtra are demanding caste-based reservations.
Particularly in Haryana, where the agitation turned into a caste feud between the Jats and non-Jats, resulting in huge loss of property, roughly worth Rs 35,000 crore.
Some of the recently leading protests and demanding caste-based reservations across India are:
• Patidars in Gujarat
The Patidar movement in Gujarat, too went in the same direction in Haryana. The movement led by Hardik Patel turned violent.
In July 2015, the protest which began on a peaceful manner took an ugly turn when Police tried to arrest Hardik in a mid-night raid. At least eleven people were killed in various police crackdowns.
• Marathas in Maharashtra
Marathas too are demanding reservation through their massive yet silent marches across Maharashtra.
• Gurjars in Rajasthan
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The Gurjar community held a 10-day protest in May 2015 demanding reservation. Thousands of Gujjar community members blocked railway tracks for days, bringing train traffic to a halt.
The community had organised similar protests in 2008, and 2010 led by Kirori Singh Bainsla, who, despite several rounds of talk with government, couldn’t reach any agreement.
In 2008, the Gurjar demand for inclusion in ST category was marred by their clashes with Meena who are major beneficiary of resevation given to category.
• The Kapus in Andhra Pradesh
The Kapu community in Andhra Pradesh has been demanding OBC status for nearly three decades.
Kapus claim that they were classified as BC until 1960, when their status was changed and quota benefits revoked.
Other than these communities …many small and large groups across the country have also raised similar demands for reservation in different categories. However, with such high demands, governments are in a predicament as the Supreme Court has put a cap of 50 per cent on reservations. In most of the states the limit has already reached and the government can’t accommodate any new group into the SC/ OBC category.
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