Pro Reservation 2006

We the undersigned are deeply troubled by the inclination of middle class India to brand any progressive pro-poor government policy as vote-bank or caste politics. We understand that 300 million of our fellow citizens who live on less than $1 a day are not going to touched by market forces or trickle down economics anytime soon. Nor are they going to just disappear. They will have to be empowered by education and by giving them access to our venerable institutions of higher learning. We also believe that the claim that reservation as a policy has had a detrimental effect on quality or is destroying brand India is frivolous and is not supported by any empirical evidence. In fact states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerela (sometimes referred to as progressive southern states) have had upto 60\% reservation for decades. Therefore,

We urge the Government of India not to back down on its pledge to implement 27\% reservation for OBCs.
We commend the Government of India for using reservation as a tool for social justice and equality
We urge the media not to foment any hysteria on this issue which might have unfortunate consequences.
We urge the opposition parties to play a constructive role in this debate.
We urge "India's smug, selfish, self-centred, satiated middle class, fattened on the fruits of the booming economy" (in the words of Vinod Mehta from Outlook) to reflect on its hostility towards empowerment of the poor in India.