Indians like to protest even more than the French like to strike. Here in the "world's largest democracy," there is always a group taking their claims to the streets of the capital. Unfortunately for me, my office is located just around the corner from the primary "authorized" protest area in New Delhi, so we're often faced with road closures and blocks, and the occasional protest parade.
Well today is going to be kinda like that, but worse. The Gujjars, an ethnic group within India, has been protesting throughout Rajasthan to demand inclusion as a Scheduled Caste (SC). SC status would give the group additional privileges, and most important, would allocate a portion of government jobs and university seats to them. To get there message across, the Gujjars have blocked roads and railways lines to prevent goods and people from traveling across states lines. Trains have been delayed, rerouted or cancelled. The Delhi-Jaipur highway is closed in many parts. At least 12 people have lost their lives in police firings on crowds. A known Gujjar criminal has threatened to attack the Chief Minister's house if demands are not met.
And today, they are supposed to bring their protests to the streets of Delhi and other places across India where there are large Gujjar populations, as people are joining in support of the Rajasthani Gujjars. Even lawyers in Haryana are protesting and as a result, no court cases have been handled for several days. There have been lots of warnings to stay off major highways. People say it's going to be a big mess, and I guess they should know since there were similar protests (with no result) around this time last year. Both my office and the US Embassy sent out warning messages last night. I'm planning to try to go to the office today, but the one in Delhi and not in Gurgaon. Because Gurgaon is in Haryana state, it would be a huge hassle to cross state lines and my travel time would double or triple.
Methnic groups are fighting for Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe status in India so they can reap the benefits of the quota system. This has resulted in a huge backlash from the rest of the population. I've heard that if the government grants quotes to the Gujjars, then the general population will have less than 50% of the seats, since the remaining amount is taken up my other ethnic groups.
So much for affirmative action. Like so many things in India, the government seems to have reacted to a problem or past situation too strongly and tried too hard to accommodate everyone. (Birth control also falls into that category, but I will save it for another discussion). We'll have to see how the day unfolds...
Well today is going to be kinda like that, but worse. The Gujjars, an ethnic group within India, has been protesting throughout Rajasthan to demand inclusion as a Scheduled Caste (SC). SC status would give the group additional privileges, and most important, would allocate a portion of government jobs and university seats to them. To get there message across, the Gujjars have blocked roads and railways lines to prevent goods and people from traveling across states lines. Trains have been delayed, rerouted or cancelled. The Delhi-Jaipur highway is closed in many parts. At least 12 people have lost their lives in police firings on crowds. A known Gujjar criminal has threatened to attack the Chief Minister's house if demands are not met.
And today, they are supposed to bring their protests to the streets of Delhi and other places across India where there are large Gujjar populations, as people are joining in support of the Rajasthani Gujjars. Even lawyers in Haryana are protesting and as a result, no court cases have been handled for several days. There have been lots of warnings to stay off major highways. People say it's going to be a big mess, and I guess they should know since there were similar protests (with no result) around this time last year. Both my office and the US Embassy sent out warning messages last night. I'm planning to try to go to the office today, but the one in Delhi and not in Gurgaon. Because Gurgaon is in Haryana state, it would be a huge hassle to cross state lines and my travel time would double or triple.
Methnic groups are fighting for Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe status in India so they can reap the benefits of the quota system. This has resulted in a huge backlash from the rest of the population. I've heard that if the government grants quotes to the Gujjars, then the general population will have less than 50% of the seats, since the remaining amount is taken up my other ethnic groups.
So much for affirmative action. Like so many things in India, the government seems to have reacted to a problem or past situation too strongly and tried too hard to accommodate everyone. (Birth control also falls into that category, but I will save it for another discussion). We'll have to see how the day unfolds...
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