SC/ST quota in promotions: The reality of the core constituency

On the face of it quota in promotions are regressive. It is easy to argue against it, but let’s get real. Core constituencies are the driving force in politics and by extension democracy. Political parties have no reason to exist and they will not if they don’t cater to the needs of their core constituencies. They have to bargain hard to promote and protect the interest of the latter to stay relevant. Otherwise, the core has the option to choose other alternatives. Whenever it shifts, parties in governments collapse. Both Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav understand it well. In the heart of their support and opposition to the quota bill are their core constituencies, the Dalits in the case of Mayawati and the middle castes in case of the latter. The BJP’s opposition to the implementation of the Sachar panel recommendation on minorities, specifically Muslims, and the Congress’ insistence on quotas for the community inside the OBC reservation also comes from the same concern. The only problem is that neither seems to have a rock-solid core base now. There’s no point in being in denial. It is the existential truth in a party-based democracy. And it’s not necessarily loaded with negative possibilities. Core constituencies don’t come out of thin air. They are born out of specific expectations of communities and as a collective bargaining tool in the democracy. The expectations many times militate against reason, like in the quota-based promotions case. But again, reason is a highly subjective quantity and its interpretation and understanding depends a lot on from which exact location in the social hierarchy you are looking at the subject in question. [caption id=“attachment_446064” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  In the heart of their support and opposition to the quota bill are their core constituencies.[/caption] Do the Dalits have the same aversion towards quotas in promotions as the upper castes? Obviously not. Would Mulayam or for that matter DMK chief M Karunanidhi be as aggressive in his opposition if the government sweetened the bill with promises for the OBCs? No. Both are catering to their constituencies. The Congress and the BJP are trying to impress the Dalits by coming to a rare agreement over the bill. They are trying to mark out imaginary or real constituencies for themselves. Quota in promotions amounts to reverse discrimination and reinforcing and perpetuating a system that should have been done away with long ago, goes the age-old argument. But that again is poor understanding of both power of the caste, democratic politics and caste-politics dynamics in the country. Politics will always address to the concerns of identity and the perceived sense of victimhood among communities. Since the caste system has already created blocks of people with similar grievances, they are easy to reach out to. It’s often a two-way process, first, when people bind into a force and choose to use the political system to their advantage; and second, when parties reach out to them promising things in returns. Either way, the caste groups benefit. The Dalits won’t be better off today in Uttar Pradesh without rallying strongly behind the BSP. Obviously, their empowerment and upward movement on the social ladder has come at the cost of the middle castes. It is natural that there will always be opposition to the BSP from this section. But that is the beauty of democracy. It allows all groups to be in a state of competitive bargaining for power and benefits. It calls for better management skills from political parties. Democracy in India is certainly going deeper and wider, bringing in more groups into its fold. The process and the outcomes may be difficult to digest for many but that’s the bland reality. Democracy cannot be an institution to strengthen the status quo, it’s far bigger role is to the instrument of social change. The merit argument in the context of promotions is valid but the support in its favour either from the political class or outside does not look too strong. That offers the parties scope to go ahead with the proposal. Things could change only if the upper castes or the sections who are likely to be in a position of disadvantage organise themselves into a vote bank and put pressure on the parties. That is essentially how democracies function. Love it or hate it, you have to accept it.