Why Caste-based Reservation Refuses to Die? - Part I

Reservation has continued much longer than expected. People sometimes talk about ending it, but the issue is not simple. It involves history, identity, economics, and social hierarchies that still have not disappeared.

 

Historical Context vs. Present Reality 

 

For a long time, Brahmanism blocked lower castes from getting education, land, jobs, and access to government. Because of this, they needed strong support to become equal members of society. The plan was not charity, but a way to undo the damage caused over many generations.

 

Land has always been a big issue in many parts of India, and Dalits and Shudras faced the most challenges in getting it. Upper caste groups often controlled the villages, the revenue records, and even the local politics. Brahminical ideology & British authorities entrapped dalits through unfair assessments, corrupt measurement practices, arbitrary taxation, and clerical manipulation. The Dalits, often were excluded from literacy, had no way to verify land records or revenue demands. Because of this, many people from lower castes were stopped, threatened, or pressured when they tried to claim land that was legally theirs. These problems did not come from law, but from social power. Even today, the struggle for fair land ownership continues.

 

It is only because the Dalits has been kept away from reading and writing that looting them has become so easy.

 

Dr. BR Ambedkar who led the Committee responsible for drafting the constitution must have thought reservation would only be needed for a short time. They believed that once caste became less important, this system could be removed. But this idea did not work out, because caste did not really disappear. Even though India changed a lot with economic growth, cities, and democracy, caste still decides people’s status, marriages, social circles, and chances in life.

 

Inequality is still common. People from lower castes face problems getting jobs, they are less seen in top colleges and offices and still experience violence. This shows that society and the market did not fix the old disadvantages on their own. If discrimination continues to exist, ending reservation may not create fairness. It could bring back the same unfair situation that existed before.

 

This argument is not about morality or some political belief. It is about how society is built. Big inequalities do not disappear in a few years. They take many generations to slowly change.

Even today, upper caste owns land from the colonial period still tells us which community has more wealth. So, asking reservation to end while these big differences still exist does not make sense. It is not logically consistent, because the basic problems are still there.

 

 

Why don’t beneficiaries give it up once financially well-off?

 

People often say reservation is still there because some lower caste people who became financially well do not want to leave their benefits. This idea assumes reservation is only for people who are poor, so if a person becomes rich, they are misusing it.

 

But this mixes up money problems with social problems.

 

Even if a lower caste person has money, they can still face discrimination in marriage, social respect, job networks, and public status. Caste inequality is not only about income. It is built into culture, power, and how people treat each other. This does not mean the system is perfect. For OBC groups, the “creamy layer” rule removes the financially stronger from reservation, but for SC/ST groups, this rule is not used, considering the atrocities and in equality in the society persist.

 

Many people argue about whether income limits or other filters should be made stronger.

 

But saying that “reservation continues only because financially well to do family don’t give it up” ignores a bigger truth of the existence of social in equality.

Expecting oppressed groups to behave like saints, while everyone else acts selfishly, is not realistic politics.

 

The government here should reform government schools and try to give education free till the class 10^th irrespective of caste and creed, I believe in the large number of our politicians and their parents in their childhood must have enjoyed the benefits of welfare state with free basic medical treatment & free education, which has stopped now in the name of privatisation. I believe, It’s the failure of current & previous government.

 

Expecting oppressed groups to give up support while society keeps its biases is not justice, it’s hypocrisy.

 

The Persistence of Caste Hierarchy

 

Certain groups still believe in caste hierarchy and use religious books like Manusmriti to justify it. This idea has some history behind it, because caste was once defended using religion and ideas of purity.

 

But today, we don’t have numbers, how many people truly believe in Manusmriti. But it promotes things like marrying only within caste, using caste surnames, or judging people by their caste jobs are not forced by religion now. These are kept alive by families and communities.

 

Even so, it is true that if dominant caste groups keep acting like they are higher or more “pure,” then the system needs to step in to balance things.

 

In the name of Manusmriti, Shudra farmers were turned into slaves for centuries.

 

 

Caste Pride

 

Many groups today still show pride in adding caste before or after the word Hindu. This shows that caste identity still has emotional value. Even communities that were historically disadvantaged now also make use of caste identity, maybe not use it to dominate, but to feel dignity and to get political power.

 

When socially weaker groups express pride, it often functions as a defence against exclusion or humiliation. By contrast, when dominant or intermediate castes express pride, it will reinforce earlier hierarchies. This can end up hardening caste boundaries rather than weakening them.

 

In the varna system, it’s not just Brahmins who acted superior. Kshatriyas and Vaishyas also treated Shudras and Dalits as lower and behaved in the same way. When every group keeps looking down on the ones below them, the caste system keeps surviving. If people don’t change this attitude, it becomes extremely difficult to annihilate caste.

 

As long as caste pride matters more than human equality, caste boundaries will remain unbroken

 

 

Why don’t people identify as Hindu or Indian first?

 

A large size of population continues to identify with caste before thinking about their religion or the country. Big reform movements like Hindu reform groups, Navayana Buddhism, Sikhism, or even the ideas of Vivekananda couldn’t completely end caste. Instead of disappearing, caste just changed and fitted itself into new identities. Even when people converted to Christianity or Islam, caste didn’t fully go away. It continued in different forms.

 

The Varna system didn’t disappear with new religions or reforms, it simply changed shape and lived on.

 

Politicians and Vote Banks

 

People often say politicians keep reservation only to get votes. There is some truth in this. Elections push leaders to promise more freebees or quotas & avoid any reforms. Caste politics during elections can twist the original purpose of helping the disadvantaged.

 

Politicians should focus more on properly enforcing laws against Dalit atrocities and making the welfare system work in real life. They should restart strong welfare programs, especially for education and basic healthcare, and make sure every village or district has working schools and primary health centres.

If politicians cared about equality, they would have strengthen welfare system and stop atrocities, not just promise more quotas.

 

The Unfinished Reform of Hinduism

 

Reservation will end only when a major reform changes Hindu religion and its varna system. This kind of change is usually slow and full of conflict. Instead of waiting for society to fix itself, the government should use strong policies and laws to reduce inequality, even if some religious ideas don’t support it.

 

If India waits for a perfect social reform before ending reservation, it might never happen. But if reservation is removed while caste inequality is still alive, things could get worse instead of better.

 

Until caste hierarchies fall, removing reservation only deepens inequality

 

Why Reservation Has Not Ended

 

Reservation persists because:

1.         Structural inequality remains.

2.         Caste identity remains socially valuable.

3.         Economic mobility has not replaced social mobility.

4.         The state has failed to provide universal education and healthcare.

5.         Political incentives discourage reform.

6.         Social hierarchies adapt faster than legal intervention.

 

Eliminating reservation without transforming society is not social reform, it is rollback.

 

The Real Problem: Inequality of Opportunity

 

In the reservation debate, people often ignore the fact that India never built a strong welfare system. Since public schools and healthcare are weak, reservation ends up acting like a replacement for basic support that the state should have already provided.

 

If India invested in good schools for everyone, equal opportunities, and strong public services, reservation wouldn’t matter so much. People keep talking about “merit,” but they pretend everyone begins from the same starting line. The playing field is completely uneven, so the idea of pure merit doesn’t make sense.

 

If schools and healthcare worked for all, the reservation debate would matter far less

 

Where we stand today – The ultimate reality

 

Reservation in India continues not for one reason but because of a mix of identity, politics, history, and inequality. Some criticisms are valid, while others are biased or overly simple. If reservation is removed without ending caste discrimination or building a strong welfare system, old caste privilege will simply come back.

 

The system isn’t perfect and does need reform but ending it out of frustration won’t create fairness. It would just recreate the old hierarchy. The real question isn’t “why is reservation still here?” but “why hasn’t Indian society made it unnecessary yet?”