"Condemn proposed '90% quota for Delhi Students in DU' by AAP"

Delhi / 12th January 2014 :

In a recent move, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has proposed to reserve seats for Delhi students in Delhi University. According to The Hindustan Times, AAP plans to reserve 90% seats in 12 colleges which are completely funded by the Delhi Government and 50% seats in some other colleges which receive 50% funding.

We think that this policy decision is not justified on several grounds. Delhi University is a central university. It attracts students from across the country. In a country with uneven 'development', social upliftment, people from far-flung areas come to DU not just for quality education but often as an escape from their socio-economic reality.

In the country with uneven development, the quality of education has also varied. Along with this has been the pressure to become either doctor or engineers. Thus, there have been very less colleges for humanities. If AAP will take a survey of the humanities colleges in across India, it will realise that there are very few good colleges and they are located mostly in the metropolitan cities. DU is listed among those top universities that impart quality education in humanities in India. So people from other states where opportunities to study humanities range from low to nil should be given the opportunity to study in DU. It is also to be mentioned that while the other states have less opportunities, this is not the case in Delhi. In Delhi, there are many universities that offer humanities.

It is also to be understood that reservation should not be seen as a privilege offered to some. It is an opportunity which is granted to those who lag behind. In what ways are Delhites with access to better standard of living and education (relative to conditions in other states) lagging behind?

In this context, we would also like to mention that this change can be harmful for the country as it can give rise to regionalism. It can lead to the "sons of the soil" policy. We have seen the repercussions of it in Maharashtra when the non-Marathi people were subjected to discrimination and violence. Adopting such measures can lead us on the same path of injustice. Delhi being the capital city has always welcomed everyone. Such policies will ruin the essence of the city.

We also request AAP not to repeat the mistake of its predecessors. Delhi University is not a functionary of the state. It is an educational institution with a board of administrators, educational experts, teachers' and students' unions. We hope that AAP will respect their expertise, experience and opinions. We hope that AAP will not repeat the mistake of its predecessors and play with the careers of the young generation. We appreciate the image of "change" that is associated with AAP and have a lot of expectations from it. Saying so, we expect maturity, broad-mindedness and respect for democratic values from AAP.

By:
Mission Bhartiyam
(A group of youths working for Peace, Human Rights and Environment)