It was an interesting debate on Times Now. Not just rhetoric but facts and information. One guest took exception on a comment that OBC and SC/ST docs wouldnot be as good as uppercaste after all they have to pass the examination of MBBS. Valid point.
Mahesh Rangarajan said that Mohammad Rayla who came for treatment of Pramod Mahajan was an Indian doctor who is one of the world's leading doctor who was selected for MBBS from the OBC category in Tamil Nadu where some Muslim castes fall under OBC.
What I particularly liked and I do agree is Rangarajan's point. That protesting medicos were polishing boots and holding brooms.
Do they hold sweepers and bootpolishers in such contempt. If the sweepers strike their work the country will surely stink a day and everything would come to a grinding halt.
And docs represent the Indian mentality that manual labour is demeaning. All these 58 years we have not been able to get away from this contemptuous attitude and still look at these professions with contempt. Sad.
Rangarajan said that whey all over India sweepers only belong to one caste and never one finds upper caste sweepers. Don't the sweepers every have the right to become doctor. He gave examples of commerical organisations and industrial associations where only people of particular castes are found in Northern India. He said that South India is far ahead than North despite the fact that reservation is much more in Southern states and they are better governed. He gave examples of Dalit and backward industrialists emerging from South. Other people in the debate also put their arguments against hike in reservation. I was wondering why I liked the programme. Just because Arnab let everybody speak and not like Rajdeep trying to cut short the speakers and grabbing screen for most part of the programme. At least Arnab lets people speak and the pitch of discussion was not raised to the levels of cacophony.
