Patel agitation. (File photo)The proponents of a new world had equality, independence and progress as their leading ideals when they dreamt of such a world and expected it to be implemented soon. In those times, equality was a revolutionary idea because when the employer frolicked in riches, the poor peasant found it hard to make both ends meet.
Sahodaran Ayyappan was the one who focussed the spotlight on the concept of reservation. The idea resonated with Christian missionaries, who carried it deep into the hinterland of India where the idea caught the fancy of the oppressed. Soon social reformists, poets, writers, revolutionaries and extremists took up the cause and lent support to the cause in their own distinct ways. Leaders such as EVR and Sahodaran Ayyappan lent their might to the movement in our land and followed it up with activities that tried to break the limits and restrictions of caste and creed.
In Kochi, in 1938, the King endorsed a law which required that out of the three members in the Kochi High Court, at least one should be a Christian. The move was a revolutionary – one that found echoes in Bengal where Muslim judges took oath of office. When India drafted a constitution, social reforms were the basis on which the pillars of Indian administration was set up. The 1,415 and 16 amendments of the Constitution ensure social justice and no one should think of destabilising them.
The unfortunate 'creamy layer' proposition diluted reservation and even though many did not like it, it has become a reality. Only continued vigilance would ensure that further dilutions of this sort do not thin out the commitment of social justice afforded by the constitution.
The morality of social justice has been accepted all over and even those in ivory towers have acknowledged their efficacy. The Indian social scenario was progressing smoothly when it was disturbed recently by those who came to power by chance. These very people should not misuse their power because it might not last.
Only boorish people are coming out against reservation. Those who do not respect women, those who believe in the all-consuming power of gold and sweets, those who want to revive Sati and other decadent beliefs call for removal of reservation. Those who feel that minds can be controlled with weapons need to know that others before them have failed in that initiative. Hitler and Mussolini are examples.
Trying to jeopardise social justice would be a Himalayan blunder. Social justice is the concept of the Constitution and even Parliament does not have the right to modify it.
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