At the peak of the Mandal Commission report related controversy in the nineties, Biju Patnaik had vehemently opposed the report and even vented his anger at party (the then Janata Dal) meetings.
Criticism that the normative appeal of affirmative action will be diluted by introduction of economic quota is ill-founded
The unreserved category itself is a class and it is not an option for the State to effect reservations on the grounds that a part of this section is economically weaker as envisaged by the government
The Constitutional scheme of affirmative action cannot work unless reservation is truly inclusive and non-discriminatory, writes Sanjeeb Panigrahi.
The Mandal Commission report, which revived the “Varna system” though in a different form, received an impetus with the Supreme…
