Politics of vote banks? 

It was an explosion that was waiting to happen. The national political parties should have known since the Mandal days that if reservation and its benefits are not handled with sensitivity then catastrophic results can be expected. The reaction of the country then and more recently in the wake of Arjun Singh generated OBC reservation politics should have been enough to put them on guard. This was not to be and the result is there for everyone to see. 

The vote bank politics has finally taken a turn that is devastating in reach and intent. Ironically, the parties involved are both national in character and yet the result of their politics of promises has taken a divisive course. The clash between the Gujars and the Meenas is bound to have its fallout in other states as well. As it is the states adjoing Rajasthan are already feeling the heat and if the fires are not doused quickly, the possibility is that conflict between other castes too might boil over to the streets.

The present conflict has its roots in the attempt by the BJP to woo the Gujar voters of Rajasthan during the last Assemby polls. Traditionally considered to be the vote bank of the Congress, the BJP is said to have succeeded in loosening the Congress grip by promising to put the Gujars on the Scheduled Tribes list so that they could enjoy the benefits of reservations.

Many rational people have found this ironical that reservations, instead of becoming the tool for bridging the gap between various people of the society has been used by those political parties that aspire to wield power. Thus, former Prime Minister V.P.Singh pushed his Mandal agenda to perpetuate his hold on the Backward Classes. More recently, Arjun Singh the HRD Minister has been pushing his OBC reservation agenda in order to win back the traditional Congress support. Ironically, both these agendas were vehemently opposed by the BJP and had therefore emerged as the champion of those castes and classes that espoused excellence to compete with the rest of the world.

The same BJP is now trapped in situation caused by its desire to create a vote bank of its own. It is indeed a matter of concern that though the reservations were to be phased out once they had achieved their purpose of creating level playfield is being sought to be perpetuated at a time when the country has to fight tooth and nail to maintain its edge among the peer nations and compete wit the developed.

The BJP has committed the cardinal error of not taking into account that the Meenas, the beneficiaries of the Scheduled Tribe status would not like to share the space that they had enjoyed during the past sixty years. Not surprisingly, threatened by this loss they have come in direct confrontation with the Gujars leading to clashes that hurt the country.

In addition, the BJP has initially treated the whole problem in a rather cavalier manner. The result is there for all to see the trail of blood and death.

Saving water for saving the world