So, Decision on quota is final

A friend forwarded me this interview of HRD Minister Arjun Singh and Karan Thapar, and I am copying few excerpts of it here. You can read the whole interview at CNN-IBN. Please be very cool while reading the interview as you may feel extremely frustrated at times, and may break your computer monitor, and you will realize it while reading the interview. At this point of time, I wish Rang De Basanti to come out to real life.

Karan Thapar:

Most of the people would accept that steps are necessary to help the OBCs gain greater access to higher education. The real question is - Why do you believe that reservations is the best way of doing this?

Arjun Singh: I wouldn't like to say much more on this because these are decisions that are taken not by individuals alone. And in this case, the entire Parliament of this country - almost with rare anonymity - has decided to take this decision.

Karan Thapar: Do you personally also, as Minister of Human Resource Development , believe that reservations is the right and proper way to help the OBCs?

Arjun Singh: Certainly, that is one of the most important ways to do it.

Karan Thapar: The right way?

Arjun Singh: Also the right way.

Karan Thapar: Except for the fact that the NSSO, which is a government appointed body, has actually in its research in 1999 - which is the most latest research shown - that 23.5 per cent of all university seats are already with the OBCs. And that is just 8.5 per cent less than what the NSSO believes is the OBC share of the population. So, for a difference of 8 per cent, would reservations be the right way of making up the difference?

Arjun Singh: I wouldn't like to go behind all this because, as I said, Parliament has taken a view and it has taken a decision, I am a servant of Parliament and I will only implement.

There are other frustating parts of the interview too, which you can read in the link I gave above. At this point of time, the issue has seriously come up to the frustrating level, which I would call it "Rang De Basanti" level.

Anurag

Category: General/Random