Curiously, given my thoughts on quotas in the past, the big issue in India in recent days has been the decision of the Government to guarantee 27% of university places to OBC (Other Backward Castes) students.
This attempt at blatant positive discrimination is entirely consistent with existing policy but the fear now is that, once the various quotas are accounted for, there are insufficient places left for children from India's increasingly large, urban middle class.
So the protests have begun and, for any student union politicians who might be reading this, you ought to realise that you are so far behind in terms of commitment that it might make you wonder why you bother.
To start with, protesting students have produced banners written in their own blood (yes, I did say blood, and I've seen the photographs) and then progressed to hunger strikes. One group have even approached the President to seek permission to be allowed to die! Given that I am opposed to quotas, you might not be surprised to hear that I am broadly supportive of their stance, if not their methods.
If a government is truly committed to improving take up rates for currently disadvantaged groups, they have to give them the means to compete. It must be accepted that for a nation like India, this is more than normally difficult, and it does clash with the country's bascially socialist ethos. But I can't help feeling that the knowledge that my doctor had earned his place because of who his parents were rather than because of his scholastic merit might lead me to seek a second opinion...
Oh yes, and for the benefit of one of my readers, Harley Davidson are looking to start sales of their estimable products in India. Should be interesting...
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