The Podcast

The podcast had begun. Mary was seated towards my right and the host towards my left. I'd framed a set of my own questions that I was going to ask. The host was still introducing her through different aspects of her life.

'Welcome to our podcast Ms. Lupin, it's great to have you here.' I said, 'Let me start of by asking you What led you to feel that the Dhangzu community was being marginalised by the government?′

'Different castes and communities in India have battled for equality, but various administrations have reduced their efforts to electoral manifestos. I have emphasised the necessity of recognising our culture, and India, a varied country, needs to be cautious in this regard. The correct acknowledgement of our language, culture, and heritage is what we need; we don't need presents from political parties hoping to earn votes. The government's different programmes have yet to reach us beneficiaries, and there have been several delays, to the point where the deadline has passed. Because of this, I believed that individuals needed to stand up for themselves in order to pressure the government to keep its commitments.′

'I agree.' I added, 'There have definitely been delays that needs to come to their notice. This will not only be detrimental to the cummunities but also be a fatal mistake for the entire country's unity.'

'In the past, you've fought for an increase in reservation for all SCs, STs and OBCs are now included in the EWC. Why do you believe there should be a bigger ratio of minorities? Isn't it detrimental to the General categories?'

'The idea of reservations has existed since before India gained its independence, and it should continue to exist since minorities have needed help for a long time. Reservations encourage these minorities to improve upon their previous standards of development. We are well aware that the bulk of these areas are impoverished and have no way out. According to the data, those who are incarcerated and facing trials but do not significantly dominate society in terms of numbers or politics are less likely to have their charges dropped. Therefore, individuals must express themselves in some way, and one such channel that ought to endure in this nation is reservations. That is why I stressed upon the need for reservation.'

'At the moment, reservations are up to 40%. This includes all castes classified as minorities. However, over fifty percent would be unjust to the whole people. What are your thoughts on that?'

'That is a thoughtful question. Numerous factors need to be taken into consideration, such as the severely underfunded basic education of minorities. A number of factors have contributed to this, one of which being the minority' inferior educational opportunities, which have eventually prevented those kids from enrolling in colleges for higher education. Now, if the quota goes beyond 50%, I don't see any threat to any community, especially the General category, which on the surface seems unfair but really creates more chances for minorities when seen in a broader context. This is another another effective strategy for ending poverty.'

'That's quite interesting,' joined the host, 'it is quite a difficult topic to debate upon. Indra Sawhney v. Union of India is a very important judgement that placed a ceiling of fifty percent on the reservation. Though it was very clearly stated that in extreme cases only, it can be extended beyond it.′

'There is no law relating to the reservation limit, so it runs on only precidents.' I added

'Now let's move from this topic.' said the host, 'Recently, an opposition MLA claimed that you were forcibly converting non-Christians to Christianity. What response do you have to that?'

'There are many who have said that, but they have no firm bases to that claims. So all that is just mearly an attempt to persuade the public to vote for them and nothing more.' She said.

'This will be a last question.There are several problems with the economic situation in India today. Freebies have a deciding impact and are bad for the economy, especially in developing nations. Isn't the fact that you gave the people a lot of money and other resources a type of freebies?' I said

"That is a significant problem that affects our economy. Of course, there are many others, but I just gave as a gesture of thanks to the voters who supported me and not to build a vote bank. This was paid for out of my own pocket, not with taxes, which would have been disastrous for the economy otherwise."

′Thank you Ms. Lupin. Thank you Reyansh Joshi.′ He said as he finished.

I was greatful that it went as I wanted it to. All's well that ends well, that was what was ringing in my head. I headed home to celebrate the trimph of the podcast. Kiara was in Hydrabad attending a conference.

TO BE CONTINUED...