Letters

Reservations cannot eradicate poverty, solve the agrarian crisis or generate employment (“Parliament passes Bill to provide 10% quota for poor”, Jan. 10). At a time when systemic responses to these problems are warranted, choosing the easy way of providing reservation amounts to escapism.

Patna

The point of reservation is to provide adequate representation to unrepresented classes, not create employment. Incomes fluctuate, so providing reservation on the basis of income makes little sense. The Bill also violates the 50% reservation rule established by the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case. The fact that this Bill seeks to alter the Constitution, was introduced without inviting public comments, and is not based on any empirical data proves that it is an electoral gimmick.

Chandigarh

The reservation policy was initiated as a temporary provision (for 10 years) for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in our Constitution in 1950. Seven decades later, we are only busy expanding the reservation policy to include more groups of people. Why can’t there be a way of finding out which categories of people have truly benefited from reservation and then update the policy accordingly?

Chennai

The Bill raises two issues, both of which were mentioned in Parliament. One, what is the justification for fixing the quota at 10%? And two, how can a household getting a daily income of ₹2,100 be called poor?

Chennai

Where are the jobs for which the government is promising reservation? The numbers on employment generation are contentious. Instead of reservation, shouldn’t the government be focussing on providing quality education and strengthening our educational institutions?

Bargarh

The passage of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha has upset many in Assam and the Northeast (“Mass messaging”, Jan.10). Protests against both the State and Union governments are taking place daily on the streets of Assam. Various organisations have already submitted thousands of memoranda to the Joint Parliamentary Committee for withdrawal of the Bill, but in vain. The Bill overrides the provisions of the Assam Accord. National parties must realise that for the Northeast, development is essential but not at the cost of identity.

Guwahati

Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s remarks that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked a woman, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, to protect him, and that Mr. Modi should be “a man” and answer Mr. Gandhi’s questions on the Rafale deal are immature and lack decency. As the president of a national party who is reportedly dreaming of becoming Prime Minister, Mr. Gandhi must exercise restraint while speaking in public, especially about the Prime Minister. The standard of public discourse is getting progressively worse.

Mysuru

The article, “Sabarimala through the ages” (Jan. 10), comes days after the Readers’ Editor’s column on the newspaper’s coverage of Sabarimala. The RE spoke about how the newspaper is covering all angles of the protest. But this article is just another addition to the ones that have been published on the opinion pages defending the judgment. I challenge you to publish at least one piece with the viewpoints of a devotee articulating the opposite view.

Chennai