



Whatever the discussion may be, the moment upper castes hear the word “caste”, they completely derail the conversation by trashing reservations, and describing how much harm this policy has apparently done to the country. The easiest way to identify them is to check whether they call themselves “general category” persons, because, well, keeping up with the era of post-truth, they are totally post-caste.



They don’t understand that the “general category” is not reserved for upper castes, and that general category seats are not meant exclusively for them. The truth is that Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other Backward Class students can also claim those seats if they make the cut-off. Upper castes feel that if we must have a reservation policy, it should be based on economic criterion and not caste. But a purely economic criterion turns a blind eye towards social and educational inequality and marginalisation — a direct product of the Hindu caste system. The purpose of the reservation policy is to increase the representation of castes which had no presence in the country’s bureaucratic set-up and higher educational institutions so far. Most of the government’s welfare schemes — such as the Indira Awaas Yojana, National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, and Public Distribution System – are caste-agnostic. They take into account the Below Poverty Line list, in which a poor household from any caste finds representation.

The reason I am contrasting the reservation policy with the government’s welfare schemes is that government schemes are concerned with people’s basic needs such as food, housing, and livelihood. The purpose of reservations, however, is increased participation of marginalised communities in India’s democracy and governance.