Author: Editorial
Publication: The Statesman
Date: July 11, 2003
The most important outcome of the
Congress's three-day strategy camp in Shimla's salubrious surroundings
is not the long apology for a manifesto obediently cheered by delegates.
Nor is it Sonia Gandhi's arguably first attempt to project herself as the
prime ministerial candidate. Or the clear signal to build alliances. The
honour goes to the Congress's conclusion at the meeting that social progress
needs another set of reservations - in the private sector and in the judiciary.
The sheer irresponsibility of the move is shocking.
The Congress hopes to put the BJP
on the defensive and take the game away from caste parties like the Rashtriya
Janata Dal, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, at one stroke
by extending quotas beyond government jobs and government-funded education.
The others may be forced to follow-on or, horrors, go one better. The prospects
for Indian society, Indian economy and Indian modernization are as clear
as mud. First, the private sector will see an erosion of a fundamental
right, to hire whom it sees fit. Amending the Constitution will raise the
question of validity of the procedure adopted. Second, quotas almost tend
to exclude the best.
Government has no problem with that.
But why should the private sector suffer? Third, this will inevitably mean
political interference in private sector hiring practices since politicians
will seek to advance their candidates. Fourth, the selection of judges
is problematic enough, without adding caste as another merit suppressor.
In any case Lord Chief Justice Anand flatly contradicted President KR Narayanan
when he went so far as to advertise his views on the subject and brought
discredit upon his high office. The Congress should be ashamed to be reducing
politics, even by Indian standards, to such a low.
Could this dangerous proposal be
a sign of the Congress's realization that incumbency disadvantage notwithstanding,
the NDA has an edge? Is that also why the Shimla meeting has all but buried
economic reforms as a party agenda? Dr Manmohan Singh was at Shimla but
was not part of the cabal that currently formulates Congress's economic
positions. Populist social and economic policies have won party elections
before but it does not mean it can do so again. Congress strategists are
claiming a 10 per cent increase in national vote share which will see the
party through in the 2004 general elections. That does not mean that there
is any basis for such a dramatic improvement; it is purely a mathematical
calculation. An outline of a general election campaign is already visible.
The Congress trashes reforms and promises all manner of goodies, the BJP
either responds in full populist mode or combines populism with temple
talk. Whoever wins, we'll have to hope they don't implement all their promises.