The Calcutta High Court made big news yesterday for canceling OBC certificates issued by TMC to 77 classes in West Bengal after 2010. CM Mamata was left fuming in political rallies at the HC’s decision that completely blew up TMC’s secular cover. As Sanatanis of Bharat rejoice at the decision, it is time to question why the court needed to cancel OBC certification after TMC came to power. Is this a case of caste-based reservations being used for political appeasement?
The Calcutta High Court’s ruling affects over 5 lakh OBC certificates but exempts those already employed based on these certificates.
Thus, the judgment does not take away the means of survival from those already working for the past 14 years using these reservations. This judgment also highlights West Bengal’s Backward Classes (Other than SC/ST) Reservation of Vacancies in Services and Posts Act, 2012. In this case, the court found that the State Commission acted hastily and improperly by issuing OBC certificates primarily to Muslim communities. Let’s observe how TMC tried to bypass the intended purpose of caste-based reservations in Bharat!
TMC’s Misguided Policies: Appeasing at the Cost of Justice
The TMC government, since coming to power in 2011, has been accused of manipulating OBC reservations to appease Muslim voters. Muslim voters are believed to be the primary vote bank of CM Mamata. Thus, her leaders are often seen encouraging the regularization of illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
In its decision to strike down the misuse of policies, the Calcutta High Court observed that the government bypassed the system and made a recommendation where 41 out of the 42 classes belonged to the Muslim community.
Therefore, the move was seen as a blatant attempt by the TMC to strengthen its votebank, rather than address genuine social and economic backwardness.
Consequently, it seems the policy enacted in 2012 not only undermines the essence of caste-based reservations. It also discriminates against Hindu communities who genuinely need these reservations. Therefore, by extending OBC status to Muslim communities, the TMC government has ignored the constitutional mandate that reservations should be based on social and educational backwardness.
Calcutta High Court Verdict: A Step Towards Justice
The Calcutta High Court also exposed the flawed processes adopted by the TMC government. The recommendations for sub-classification of OBCs were made without proper scrutiny or data. It seems that the State Commission and the government bypassed necessary procedures, including public notifications and inviting objections, making the entire process opaque and biased.
The court’s judgment of canceling all OBC certifications after 2010 is a reaffirmation of constitutional values.
It emphasized that reservations should adhere to the principles laid down in Article 16(4) of the Constitution. The Calcutta High Court observed that the State Commission acted in undue haste to fulfill the political promises of the TMC. Thus, it compromised the integrity of the reservation system.
Questions That Need Answers
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Why Should Hindu Reservations Be Shared?
One of the fundamental questions arising from this judgment is why Hindu caste-based reservations should be extended to Muslim communities. Reservations are designed to uplift socially and educationally backward classes. Why? The degenerated varna system allowed certain castes to face prosecution. However, reservations have become a tool for political appeasement. And this tool was weaponized against Hindus by the TMC’s 2012 Act that allowed Muslims to lay claim on OBC reservations.
Muslims and Christians claim to be a society that do not obey the caste system. They are allowed to claim a Minority Quota or Economically Backward Class Quota if applicable to them or the institute. However, political parties are allowing these communities to claim OBC status. This approach dilutes the entire purpose of caste-based reservations. Moreover, it deprives deserving Hindu communities of their rightful benefits, as given by the constitution.
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Political Appeasement Over Merit?
The TMC, and many INDI Alliance parties, are trying to influence minority votes by enlisting them OBC quotas. Their manifestos do not directly state the same but their actions speak louder than words. Look at the recent actions of the Siddharamiya administration in Karnataka! These parties are mocking the reservation system placed in the constitution to benefit oppressed sections of society. Thus, they are depriving the seats and employment earned by OBCs by allowing non-Hindu communities into the OBC list!
It seems that OBC quotas have become a strategy to allow certain communities to bypass the merit-based system in public employment and education. By extending OBC status to non-Hindu religions, the state governments are undermining the principles of meritocracy as well as social justice! This approach not only erodes public trust but also sets a dangerous precedent for future policies.
A Wake Call for Genuine Political Reform
The Calcutta High Court gave a judgment that should serve as a wake-up call for the TMC government. However, it should also be a reminder for all political parties that are practicing harmful appeasement politics. Coming to power with a people’s mandate should not allow political parties to pave a path of injustice to appease certain segments of society. The state governments must represent the best interests of all communities and castes. Biased policies and political pressures will only lead to a complete breakdown of societal structure.
Moreover, allowing non-Hindus communities to claim the OBC quota will encourage rapid religious conversions of upper-caste Hindus into these communities.
The government that enacts such dangerous policies is playing a dirty communal game with the people of Bharat. The decision by Calcutta High Court corrects a wrong in the Hindus of Bharat. Thus, Sanatnanis are rejoicing in this decision to cancel the OBC certificates issued after 2010 under the TMC regime’s appeasement policies. Let’s hope this move will make the West Bengal Government reassess its biased approach to Hindu reservations. Lastly, the judgment by Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha of Calcutta High Court serves as a reminder that political appeasement should never come at the cost of the rights of Hindus in Bharat.