Dr Kapil Yadav: Reservation has been there (for faculty) for approximately 10 years at AIIMS. Otherwise, with one rule or the other, they have been able to block it. A special leave petition has been pending with the Supreme Court for 6, 7 years.

The AIIMS faculty association has filed a case that AIIMS being a premier institute, no form of reservation should be implemented there -- this is their official stand.

Before 1983, there was no reservation at AIIMS. Between 1983 and 1984 there was reservation for scheduled castes/scheduled tribes. In 1987 they came out with a genie called floating reservation, which (then Union home minister) Buta Singh labeled as unconstitutional.

In 1993 they went to court saying there should be no reservation. They went to the high court against the director of AIIMS and the Government of India -- these were the respondents. There was a stay after one hearing and the stay remained for 10 years.

Then the reserved category faculty here launched a forum, the Forum for Equal Opportunity. They became a party and the case was decided in two years. They went to the Supreme Court and the stay was removed.

Then in 2003, 22-23 SC/ST/OBCs were selected against the 80 (in the faculty selection) that was the rule. That case is still pending with the high court.

General category students get no benefit like reservation at AIIMS.

Dr Kapil Yadav: AIIMS used to have reservation for internal candidates, it still has for those who do MBBS from here. There was a period when MBBS graduates from AIIMS were scoring less marks compared to SC/STs. These are the people who are leading AIIMS in the anti-reservation strike, one of them got 14 per cent marks and secured a PG (post graduation) seat.

It's double standards na?

There is still 33 per cent reservation (for those who have done MBBS from AIIMS and go on to pursue higher degrees from the institute), but now they have to clear the minimum 50 per cent. One Youth for Equality (the forum against caste-based reservation) member has got a seat from AIIMS reservation. When I said this is reservation, they said -- 'No, this is not reservation, this is preference.' They want reservation because they have studied in the best institute, and a person who has come from the village they say no.

How can the additional 27 per cent reservation for OBCs be justified?

Dr Kapil Yadav: Why they are scared of OBCs is because it tilts the balance. Reservation is not going to change caste discrimination in AIIMS at any cost. The Ambedkarite theory will fall on its face because of the stigmitisation that has been introduced.

Those who have benefited, a majority of them turned against their own people. Reservation was never meant for an individual. Ambedkar gave a theory for class representation -- they will work for their own people but over the years, the majority turned against them.

Like here, in every committee, there are reservedwallahs, but they will say there is no caste discrimination.

With OBCs coming, what happens is that you (the reserved category) come in the majority. The stigma is no longer there and when the stigma is removed, the reserved category will start interacting and the game changes. They are trying to delay it at any cost.

Dr Rajesh Paswan: When anti-reservationists oppose quota for OBCs, they attack Dalit icons, not OBC icons. They will sweep the streets, or polish shoes -- when these are not OBC but Dalit symbols. You are opposing OBCs and attacking Dalits?

At Jawaharlal Nehru University, they used to have slogans like Mera kutta kaisa ho, SC/ST jaisa ho (Comparing SC/STs to dogs). One reason we came to support the OBCs is because we also have to bear the brunt of this.

Reservation was started to remove social and economic discrimination. Because of the creamy layer, society cannot digest the social discrimination issue. They think a person who has 10 cars and runs a travel agency does not need reservation? It is the creamy layer part of the 27 per cent quota that has ended the cultural meaning of reservation.

Image: Dr Kapil Yadav is a Senior Resident Medical Officer at AIIMS's department of preventive and social medicine. Also read: 'Middle class only bothers about itself'

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