In a nation that proudly calls itself the world’s largest democracy, the harsh truth is unavoidable: systemic discrimination against general category citizens has become a national tragedy.
What was once introduced as a temporary measure to uplift historically disadvantaged communities—Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC)—has now mutated into a bloated, unchecked system that is actively robbing general category individuals of their opportunities, rights, and futures.
Let’s strip away the political spin: this isn’t about equality—it’s about institutionalized favoritism.
General category students, often from hardworking middle-class families, are left to battle in a rigged system where merit takes a backseat to birth-based privilege. They study harder, score higher, and still watch as seats in premier institutions and government jobs are handed over to others with significantly lower scores.
Consider this shocking example: the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) Kolkata cutoff list for the Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) Second Stage Examination (CBT-II) under CEN 01/2024. The Open (UR) cutoff stands at a jaw-dropping 70.74830, while the ST cutoff is a mere 29.25170. That’s not a gap—it’s a chasm. How can this possibly be called fair? One group is forced to achieve extraordinary excellence just to qualify, while another sails through with marks that would fail even a basic test.
And let’s be clear—this is not an isolated case. The same story repeats across IITs, AIIMS, UPSC, and countless other institutions. Governments defend this lopsidedness under the banner of “social justice.” But where is the justice for the general category? Their taxes fund these institutions, their labor powers the economy, yet their children are punished for the accident of not belonging to a reserved category.
The result? Resentment. Inefficiency. Brain drain. India’s brightest minds are leaving for nations where merit is respected, not smothered under layers of vote-bank politics.
It’s time to ask the real questions: Is an endless reservation regime genuinely uplifting the marginalized—or simply creating dependency and political vote banks? Why are there no sunset clauses or economic filters to prevent the misuse of quotas by those who have already benefited for generations?