The debate over reservations found an unusual platform on Tuesday as Ratan Tata, praised by many for his philanthropy and entrepreneurship, was openly condemned by a few in a ceremony honouring his achievements.
“Ratan Tata, opponent of reservations, go away, go away!” shouted a group of activists calling themselves the OBC Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (Alliance for Struggle for OBC Reservations) at the function awarding Tata the state’s highest civilian honour, the Maharashtra Bhushan.
Ratan Tata had on April 7 said that the proposed increase in reservations at IITs, IIMs and other institutes would ‘divide’ the country further into various groups.
He said that merit should not be sacrificed in the effort to uplift the underprivileged in society. On Tuesday, the sloganeering took place as Tata’s citation was being read and the award was being handed to him by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
As he approached the CM, Tata stopped for a short moment in mid-step, locked eyes in apparent surprise at some of the activists, most of whom were students, and went to receive his award with a tensed face. Tata is the first non-Marathi person to receive the award and many people think the honour was overdue.
The state has given him the award as a sign of its support for industry, said industries minister Ashok Chavan.
Tata did not mention the protest in his quavering speech, instead announcing that he was considering Maharashtra as the proposed base to set up a facility manufacturing high-powered computers, as well as ventures in retail and real estate.
He didn’t elaborate, but added that he also wanted to bring “social happiness to the rural areas of Maharashtra”. He also thanked the state for the honour it had bestowed on him, and said that he considered himself a non-Marathi-speaking Maharashtrian.
He said that he was proud to live in this time, when India was becoming prosperous and an important power in the world. “My regret is that I am not 10 or 20 years younger to participate in what is going to be a tremendous time for this country,” he said.
Meanwhile, five of the protestors, Gajanan Kale, Yogini Chavan, Jyoti Badekar, Sumedh Jadhav and Shaheed Bhagwat, were arrested and taken to Dadar police station. They are members of the Samatawadi Chhatrabharati, a Mumbai-based students’ union.
Chhatrabharati advisor Kishore Jagtap said the Samiti would increase the scale of its agitation. “What does Ratan Tata, born into privilege, know about our struggle to educate ourselves?” he said.
However, sources close to Ratan Tata said he has not spoken on the reservation quota issue till date and therefore it was unfair to blame him.
They also dismissed protestors’ claim that they tried to reach out to Tata by sending him letters and e-mails. “No such letter or e-mail has been received at Tata’s office,” sources said.
