Society is about giving most opportunities to individuals to come up in life. All individuals are not the same, do not have the same background. Just as a good parent needs to help the weaker children more, a welfare state needs to make sure that people facing social and economic discriminations are provided
assistance to come up in life. It is a practical reality in india that caste dictates your social and economic status more than anything else. It also influences what network of people you have and how much information is available to you. Because of its discriminatory nature huge chunks of india have been forced to suffer indignity, poverty and
harassment in silence for ages. Reservation is not perfect but has helped india provide HOPE for its millions of poor. Govt has many programs to identify the poor and help them. Out of these, caste based reservations is just ONE of these tools and has been very EFFECTIVE. We need to realise that this a tool to target needy people for government benefit programs. Unfortunately, government has to discriminate people for these welfare schemes based on caste. But this is a positive discrimination. To understand this better, think about AIDS awareness programs by the govt and NGOs. You have campaigns that are addressed to all indians. But you will need more focussed campaigns that target the risky population like prostitutes, migrant workers, AIDS patients and slums. That's the 80% of the TARGET SEGMENT for you. Same way, reservation for SC/ST helps in targetting the 80% of the people suffering from social and economic disabilities. Inspite of the several hurdles placed in front of its implementation due to upper
caste bias, the policy has succeeded in creating a SMALL middle class out of almost 100% illiterate, poor, landless,oppressed dalits. It is these successful SC/STs who are the HOPES of millions who are suffering oppression. Hope is what you need to create to help people fightback discrimination and improve their life. No wonder, every other
community wants to avail of this benefit. Yes, it is discrimination, but a positive and effective one. It is NEVER a level playing field. You always have the advantages of family backgrounds, wealth, network, power , caste backing, community backing and timing. My friend, don't mistake these as Merit. It is not fair either. This hope of social
upliftment has kept the disadvanataged from resorting to violence. You don't want a situation like palestine where arabs have no hope. Even the most meritocratic society in the world, the USA, has seen the benefits of affirmative action. The gates of diversity opened by Affirmative action was what broke the stronghold of whites in american
society. Today, america is benefiting from the more tolerant and diverse society. Opposition to reservation and claims of Merits are in reality, attempt by the powerful, the upper caste to retain their stronghold on an INVISIBLE, exclusive reservation for themsleves. This is one tool to enable INCLUSIVE growth.