A lot of rage, a little Rang De
May 25, 11 am: Rebellion
Not all students are alike. Not all will sit back and let time take its course. It's a thought that creeps up on me when I run into K V Singh.
A graduate of Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, Singh (extreme left) holds a Bachelor's degree in tourism and intends to apply for his Masters. He has been in Delhi since May 19 and has decided to join the hunger strike from this morning. "It is not reservations I oppose," he tells me. "It is the way they are being implemented."
What Singh wants are reservations on the basis of economic background, not caste. "An OBC certificate can be bought in Punjab and Haryana for as little as Rs 10,000," he laughs. And he isn't in any mood to listen to the President's appeal either. "Why is Kalam appealing to us instead of talking to his government?" he asks. "What happened to his 'dream of India'?"
Suddenly very serious, he adds, "I want to do something extreme. Not violent, but something like what Bhagat Singh did. He didn't harm anyone, yet managed to create awareness." Does he have a plan? "Of course," he replies. "But we can't reveal it. When you fight a thief, you have to think like one. We reveal information only on an hourly basis."
Here is a man clearly upset with the Indian government. "They have a whip, and we are like horses. They want us to run. I am going step by step, gauging the mood before I decided what I want to do next.
On the other hand are people like Dr Sanjeev Chibber. A cancer surgeon at Rockland Hospital and zonal chairman of the Delhi Medical Association's activist section, he says he is looking at legal and other alternatives. "The government's statement has many loopholes," he smiles. "Where will they get the money they need to implement quotas, for one?"
Also See: Did Arjun Singh's quota gamble backfire?