During a recent visit to ISRO, prime minister Modi was seen interacting with a group of schoolchildren—a moment meant to inspire scientific curiosity and national pride. But the conversation took a poignant turn when one student posed a simple, piercing question: “If someone scores 100 and another scores 40, shouldn’t the one with 100 get the seat?” The room reportedly fell silent, with no direct response from the Prime Minister. This unfiltered question from a child cuts through layers of political correctness and ideology, laying bare a truth that even the youngest minds can grasp—that fairness should be rooted in performance, not social categories.
The current caste-based reservation system was originally introduced to address centuries of discrimination and systemic exclusion of Dalits and Adivasis. While its intent was noble, critics argue that over time, it has morphed into a rigid mechanism that often disregards present-day realities. Many believe that caste-based quotas no longer reflect who is truly disadvantaged in modern India. The wealthier sections within reserved categories still benefit, while poor and marginalized individuals from non-reserved categories, including upper-caste and OBC families in rural or underdeveloped regions, continue to suffer. This has fueled widespread demand for reservations based on economic status, which would focus on those genuinely in need, regardless of caste.
Ironically, it is the reservation system that continues to reinforce the caste identity it was meant to dissolve. As long as benefits are tied to caste, people will cling to these labels—sometimes even manipulate them—to access state resources. This keeps the caste system alive and politically relevant, undermining the constitutional promise of a casteless, equal society. Transitioning to a more inclusive model that prioritizes economic hardship, educational disadvantage, and geographic isolation could help achieve the original vision of social justice—without further deepening societal divides. Even children are starting to see the cracks in the system. It’s time the political class did too.
The current caste-based reservation system was originally introduced to address centuries of discrimination and systemic exclusion of Dalits and Adivasis. While its intent was noble, critics argue that over time, it has morphed into a rigid mechanism that often disregards present-day realities. Many believe that caste-based quotas no longer reflect who is truly disadvantaged in modern India. The wealthier sections within reserved categories still benefit, while poor and marginalized individuals from non-reserved categories, including upper-caste and OBC families in rural or underdeveloped regions, continue to suffer. This has fueled widespread demand for reservations based on economic status, which would focus on those genuinely in need, regardless of caste.
Ironically, it is the reservation system that continues to reinforce the caste identity it was meant to dissolve. As long as benefits are tied to caste, people will cling to these labels—sometimes even manipulate them—to access state resources. This keeps the caste system alive and politically relevant, undermining the constitutional promise of a casteless, equal society. Transitioning to a more inclusive model that prioritizes economic hardship, educational disadvantage, and geographic isolation could help achieve the original vision of social justice—without further deepening societal divides. Even children are starting to see the cracks in the system. It’s time the political class did too.
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