The Congress party has been pushing for reservations across the board, both extensive and intensive. In one of its latest social media posts, the Grand Old Party stated that only 2% of faculty from the top five IITs in India belong to the OBC, SC, and ST communities.
The observation has been made in the context of Rahul Gandhi repeatedly saying that OBCs have been left behind. The Congress party has also been campaigning for a nationwide caste census. The BJP is against doing the same.
The IIT faculty apparently lacks social diversity. However, not everyone is ready to give primacy to inclusion at the cost of merit. Joydeep Sen Sarma wrote, "If the Congress has a plan to get more talented people from less privileged backgrounds to these rarefied echelons (read IITs), it would be very welcome. If they think 'jitni abadi utna haq' (proportional representation) must extend to top faculty positions - it is an act of arson." Mohan Sinha pondered, "And I thought academic excellence was a prerequisite for good faculty in IIT."
Netizens are arguing that the Congress party should open private engineering colleges. "Give 100% reservations to hire professors and students. And prove to the world that meritocracy is not essential," suggested Rahul Raj.
https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/1714265004805939458
