Amitabh Bachchan does not believe in caste. This from a person who was under fire for certain ceremonies performed when his son was getting married. So he believes in Hindu rituals but not the concept of caste. I have nothing against the man for anything that he has said or done. But I do have something else to say.
It is an undoubted fact that caste is very important in India. The only way we can let go of it is to spread more education. Even then, I am doubtful whether it will completely go away. I personally do not have hangups. The same can be said of many people I know. But this is not the case with many others in India. Some stick to it so as to not displease their families. So whatever may be the reasons, it is a prominent thing. Something which started out just as a means of classification of employment has today become very rigid. Everyone remembers Arjun Singh and his reservation for OBCs which kicked up a huge storm in the not-so-distant past.
The reservation percentages were based on some estimates. By keeping reservation you are already discriminating between people on the basis of caste (though some may call it positive discrimination). So why not just go in for a census and decide once and for all what percentage of the population is exactly "backward"? If it is more than the estimated figure, well, the politicians have all the more reason to make merry by increasing reservation. If it is not, well, I still doubt that the percentage of reservation will ever go down. So my final point? Just do it.
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