Reservations in Private Sector...Why Anna Should Campaign for This

Anna Ji,

I wish you good luck in your struggles…

In the past one year, we have seen a broad coalition of corrupt political forces gathering momentum against your movement….these forces are forming around the solid nucleus being provided by the Congress party. Unfortunately these forces also are seen as those fighting for the disadvantaged in Indian society….that is why your movement must take a strong stand in favor of the disadvantaged groups like the Dalits and OBCs…and backward Muslims….

The best way to position your movement is to give a call for affirmative action for the landless rural masses from these sections in the growing Indian private sector….this would meet several objectives in one stroke.

So far since independence job reservations have been the prerogative of the government sector. This has created a huge constituency in favor of the Congress Party consisting of all those directly or indirectly benefited by the reservation policy of the government. That is the reason why all Dalit intellectuals are violently opposed to your movement….

You need to swiftly change the goal posts….let the private sector bear its share of the burden for redistributing wealth in society….we know the government does not redistribute wealth without massive doses of corruption and extortion…let the private sector which is growing by leaps and bounds play its natural role in building an egalitarian society….you will face lot of opposition from all the crony capitalists but you should ignore them completely…

The other pillar of this strategy is to alter the basis of identity politics in this country….reservations should be meant for all rural people who are landless….this would automatically include the vast majority of dalits and OBCs but leave out those who have benefited from job reservations in their previous generations and are actually able to fend for themselves….

This new proposition would be applicable only to the private sector and the government can continue with its convoluted reservation system for the well to do crony dalit and OBC politicians and intellectuals….

Over a period of time the really deserving Dalits and OBCs employed by the productive private sector would realize the exploitation that their more fortunate brothers and sisters employed with the government indulge in and will start giving help in transforming this country…

Regarding the Muslims, most of them would get covered as they also live in rural areas and are landless like the Dalits and OBCs…..they do have a identity issue as spiritual assimilation of Islamic thought in the Hindu ethos has not taken place in this country….that is the reason for most Muslims staying away from your movement …you have an opportunity to begin this assimilation process by championing Sharia like laws for the chronic extortionists in the political and bureaucratic class….Sharia laws for dealing with massive crimes were made to fight depravity in despotic societies and they would suit Indian politicians very well….