No, not Native Americans. India, as this Financial Times article reports, is giving us a glimpse of our own future if racial and ethnic preferences are not eliminated:
Paramilitary forces in the Indian state of Rajasthan struggled on Friday to head off violent clashes with and between two large and competing lower caste groups that have left at least 23 dead and cut the state off from the rest of the country.
The rioting began on Monday when large numbers of Gujjars, a “backward” caste of cowherders, took to the streets to demand access to quotas reserved for those further down India’s elaborate social hierarchy.
The Gujjars, who are spread over northern India, are seeking a lower social status in Rajasthan so they can compete for public sector jobs and college places reserved for so-called “scheduled tribes” under an affirmative action programme.
And here’s more:
In the past two decades, more castes and communities under Hinduism’s ancient hierarchy have been demanding special quotas to garner government jobs and college places through affirmative action programmes.
The Meenas, a powerful community in Rajasthan, have cornered a large slice of the existing tribal quota for government jobs and college places in the state, and their leaders say they do not want the Gujjars to get reserved places at their cost.
“The strident demand among Gujjars in Rajasthan for ST status is a reflection of the seeming paradox of the notion of caste in today’s India,” the Times of India said in an editorial.
“The advent of reservations as an instrument to address economic and social inequities … has promoted communities to go down the caste ladder to take advantages of assured quotas.”
There are several groups that benefit from government affirmative action – Scheduled Castes (SC), made up of “untouchables” and which is the lowest tier, and Scheduled Tribes (ST) made up of tribal groups are the next tier.
The third tier are Other Backward Classes (OBC), made up of a host of lower castes including Gujjars.
Gujjars wanted to be relegated to the ST group, where they believe competition is less fierce for jobs and college places.
