KOTTAYAM: A day after its national leadership batted for removal of the 50% cap for reservation, the Congress in Kerala was pushed on the back foot on Tuesday with the influential NSS coming out strongly against the caste-based reservation system. NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair, in a statement, alleged that such a reservation system developed an upper caste-lower caste divide, creating rivalry between communities. “Caste-based reservation is an unhealthy system that poses a threat to the nation’s unity.
The system has proven unscientific as it failed to achieve its goal even 76 years after Independence. The Supreme Court has ruled that caste-based reservation amounts to a violation of Section 15 (1) of the Constitution.
However, respective governments framed policies bypassing the SC order,” Nair said. Finding itself in a quandary with NSS, its saviour in many difficult situations, lashing out against the high command’s strategic move in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress state leadership chose to tread cautiously.
We are aware of NSS’ stand, have not discussed it yet, says Satheesan
“We are aware of the NSS stand. In Kerala we have not discussed it yet,” parliamentary party leader V D Satheeshan told TNIE. Replying to a question, he said the CWC decision was binding on the state leadership. “However, we are yet to discuss the subject," he said.
The NSS general secretary alleged that political parties were pitching in for caste-based reservation eyeing vote banks. “It (caste-based reservation) triggers racial discrimination and rivalry between various communities eventually leading to communalism. The relaxation in norms in the name of reservation waters down eligibility criteria in the education and job sectors. When the financially sound section in the backward communities enjoys all the benefits of reservation, poor people among them are being pushed back further. Whereas economically weaker sections in forward communities struggle hard,” he said.
Nair called upon political parties to find a suitable alternative to consider everyone as equal irrespective of caste and religion. “The governments are duty bound to bring those who are educationally, socially, and employment-relatedly backward, to the mainstream irrespective of caste, creed, and religion. To achieve this, the caste-based reservation system set in the vote bank politics should be abolished,” he said.