http://www.centralchronicle.com/20080209/0902282.htm
Editorial Reservation to how many?: Give good education to dalits Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister on Wednesday demanded provision of reservation for Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims in Patna. She said that she is in favour of giving reservation to the poor belonging to the upper caste. Mayawati's advocacy for reservation is not new. Raising the issue of reservation to increase mandate and vote bank, tendency of setting aside talent and skill is now common. But the lack of will power is found about the betterment, social upliftment and providing education. Rather the Government needs to ponder as to how to empower them, how can they get better education. First of all it is important that the deprived sections have the requisite qualifications. Hence the Union and the state governments should deliberate on providing quality education. By just providing them reservation would only result in lowering standard. If it happens then in coming 10-12 years the country would have to face its consequences. Even otherwise reservation has been in vogue for uplifting a section of the populace for quite some time but unfortunately a majority of dalits continue to live below the poverty line. The role of politics is no less behind it. The need of the hour is to provide quality education to the children of the deprived people. Governments and leaders should make special efforts to give them solid education and to make them strong. Good schools and better teachers should be arranged in village level schools and in poor localities so that their foundation becomes strong and they can tread with mainstream and advanced society.
