Hunger’s the new mantra at the IIT campus in Powai. The anti-reservation hunger strike that started on Monday has increased its numbers to 35 students.
The pro-reservation hunger strike is considerably smaller, with two students. But the People for Social Justice are on a symbolic strike, mimicking the actions of their upper caste anti-reservation peers.
Udaykant Pandey, 23, an anti-reservationist, said, “There is no division among us. We have the support of students from all sections of society. From what HRD minister Arjun Singh said on television, it is clear that he does not have any figures on the percentage of what he calls ‘Other Backward Castes’. We know that the reservation quota in IIT at least, is not fully utilised. Almost half the reserved seats go empty.”
Pandey clarified that he and his friends were not against reservation per se, “But a hike is not justified. Reservations are being given on graduate and postgraduate levels because the move can get a harvest of votes. Primary and secondary education is ignored because you can’t buy loyalty through reservations in that segment. The HRD minister is playing an emotive game of politics.”
The hunger strikers, with red bands on their wrists, have been surrounded by their friends who support them. However some of them, like Sridhar Iyengar, offered a larger argument.
“The current infrastructure in IIT is not enough,” said the hunger striker, “The teacher-student ratio has to be maintained. Only if the infrastructure improves can more reservations be implemented.”
At the other end of the political spectrum, Bindu Laxmi and Ratesh from People for Social Justice said, “We support reservations and we are against this caste-based agitation going on throughout the country. There should be reservation in every education sector and even in the private and corporate sectors.”
Claims Iyengar, “We do not ask a person’s caste before we make friends with our fellow students.” Ratesh counters, “People from scheduled castes are called ‘Scheddus’ on campus.” He does concede though that “People don’t make friends on the basis of caste.”
