European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 28, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Daily Magazine Middle class feels threatened equal Opportunity for India lower castes Bylsema Strohl associated press Vire Shah son of a poor textile is resented by his More affluent uppercase classmates in medical they regard him As unfit to be a they shun saying he displaced a More deserving higher caste student because he a Locaste hindu admitted under the Indian governments controversial equal Opportunity it provides a quota system for the socially disadvantaged Low castes and it dates Back to Mohandas Gandhi Campaign for equal rights for the lowest of the whom he called Harijan children of although untouchability was officially abolished in it persists in India and Harijan and lower castes have been pressing for More economic and social it has left Many in the Middle class feeling threat ened by the upward mobility of traditionally lower and the equal Opportunity programs in colleges fuel the it is happening All Over a nation of More than castes and but the Issue recently exploded in which for years was the Home of the preacher of nonviolence who was assassinated in More than 70 people were killed and hundreds injured in the two months of bloodletting and arson involving caste and religious the violence stemmed from a state government proposal in Western of which Ahmadabad is the to increase quotas in education and government employment for the like Vire Shah said he entered medical school in 1983 at Gujarat University after years of my fathers toil bore he scored lower Marks than normally required on the Entrance test but was admitted under the minority quo tas while students with better test scores were denied admission because seats were not the upper classes feel threatened because now it is not Only their sons making it big but also people like Chaudhary who was born an sheer a caste that is a few Steps above the in Gandhi called untouchables gods he but society Hast accepted them these High castes have to learn to sacrifice a Little so others can at least have a but uppercase who have dominated the social scene for Are becoming militant about their rights and feel threatened by the new the Indian Constitution provides for discretionary quotas in education and government employment but each state can decide the percentage of places to be reserved for various caste and other the supreme has put the upper limit for quotas at 49 the trouble in Gujarat started in february when the state government announced an new York times photo India has not yet won Equality for Locaste the country 18 percent which would take the total percent age to 49 last 696 of seats in engineering colleges statewide were As Well As 208 of 675 seats in various medical according to official the recent proposed increase was widely seen As a vote getting device by the state government but because of the widespread the government promised to review it and postpone the increase for one the reservation policy must be we Are not against it but against this inflation of said Gaurang spokesman of the students organization leading the an uppercase said even the existing quotas were not filled by backward classes and Low he claimed Only 1 percent of the Locaste and tribal students managed to finish High school in the state and were unable to make use of College statistics show that of the 31 percent of seats re served for backward castes last year in engineering col Leges in Gujarat state Only about half were the student agitation has been supported by Parent groups and in april parents threatened to Stop paying taxes if the government did not scrap the analysts say the confrontation is Between economic classes rather than castes but economic status in India generally is linked with the a dominant business and the brah mins form the Backbone of the Strong gujarati Middle class that is outraged by the quota caste antagonisms turned violent in Ahmadabad in april when armed gangs of uppercase hindus attacked Harijan burning and looting Homes and Harijs retaliated As the agitation turned bloody and uppercase hindus attacking lower castes is not a new it has happened in the past said state chief minister Madha Sinh this is economic the concept of reservation quotas is enshrined in our Constitution and we must work for the uplift ment of All but the student says recruitment should be based Only on should the government take a revengeful attitude because backward castes were persecuted years ago he our society needs capable and efficient the agitation is for reestablishment of i a photo different different clothing Are obvious on the dance floor of this new Delhi May 1985 the stars and stripes Page 13