Mercifully, the Jats who cut off water supply to Delhi in Murad Nagar of Ghaziabad district last Sunday, have relented and agreed to talk. They are demanding reservation in central government jobs under the “other backward class” category, apparently emboldened by the Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan that led to the state government enacting law to provide five percent quota for them over a year ago.

It may be recalled that the Rajasthan high court put a stay on implementation of this quota for the Gujjars saying that if granted, this would take the tally to over 50 percent--a ceiling the Supreme Court has placed. Legally, the same issue would come up even if the central government were to agree to the demands as the tally stands at 49.5 percent at present.

The real issue, however, is how far this quota business be allowed to continue? Ironically, the last movement for reservation--that of the Rajasthan’s Gujjars-- was not because they were not getting any reservation. They were getting it as part of the OBCs. They wanted more. Similarly, the Jats benefit from reservation in some of the northern states like Rajasthan. But they want more--this in the central government jobs.

The malaise of reservation, which was intended for the first few years after the independence to provide a boost to the underprivileged, has spread and seems now to know no bounds. Not only the relatively well-off communities like the Jats and Gujjars, even the Brahmins and the Rajputs of Rajasthan have demanded reservation and are bound to step up their agitation if the Jats’ demand is met. 

Isn’t it time to give a strong message to the protesters that enough is enough and that they should stop taking the affirmative action to a ridiculous length.