A scuffle between two honourable members of the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday morning further cemented the image of India’s parliamentarians as true representatives of its people. In a country where norms of dignified behaviour and speech appear to have been completely forgotten, it is perhaps appropriate that our national legislature should reflect the general boorishness.
Through the scuffle that occurred between a BSP MP supporting introduction of a bill to enable reservations in promotions for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, and a Samajwadi Party MP opposing it, the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha could be heard saying: “No, no, no... What is this, what is this?”
That is a very good and pertinent question.
Is it another attempt to ensure greater social justice? Or is it another attempt at cynical votebank politics? The answers would vary, depending on who is asked the question, but some facts appear to be clear enough.
Caste, and discrimination based on caste, have been and remain social realities in India. However, caste is hardly the only basis on which Indians discriminate against one another. We also have enough examples of discrimination based on region, religion, class, language, ethnicity and gender. These are also lived realities.
The government policy of extending benefits to all those who have historically faced some form of discrimination may therefore open a Pandora’s box. And the wrestling match in Parliament could be a portent of many such struggles, between groups and individuals, that we might see in the days ahead.