Description

Anti-reservation protests in Bangladesh

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Context:

More than 100 people have been killed as protests against job quotas convulse Bangladesh and hold Dhaka in siege.

What is the main cause and the demand of protestors?

Against the quota system:

In Bangladesh 30 per cent quota in the country’s government jobsis reserved for families of Bangladesh freedom fighters.
Protesters say these are discriminatory as they benefit families of ruling Awami League which has the most number of families who participated for the freedom movement.
Protestors want the quotas to be scrapped.

Quota in Bangladesh

●In all, 56% of government jobs were reserved for various quotas: 30% for families of freedom fighters, 10% for women, 10% for people from underdeveloped districts, 5% for indigenous communities, and 1% for persons with disabilities.

●In 1996, as the number of freedom fighters’ quota claimants decreased, the government extended the quota to include children of freedom fighters and, in 2009, it was further expanded to include grandchildren of freedom fighters.

Underlying cause: Unemployment

About 4 lakh candidates apply for some 2,000-3,000 government jobs every year. The large-scale mismatch in demand and supply in the job market in Bangladesh is one aspect of the challenge.

Government of Bangladesh's claim

Only 10% of jobs under the 30% quota for the freedom fighters’ families get filled, the rest goes to the merit-based system.
The government has already scraped all quota facilities for first-class and second-class government jobs.

Awami League’s association with Bangladesh Liberation War

●Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, often referred to as the Father of the Nation in Bangladesh, became the focal point of Bengali nationalist aspirations. The Awami League's Six Point Movement, made by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1966, outlined the demands for greater autonomy for East Pakistan, which eventually escalated into the demand for independence.

●During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, the Awami League (led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) played a crucial role in advocating for independence from Pakistan.

●The party won a landslide victory in the 1970 general elections in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), which Pakistan's ruling military junta at the time refused to honor, leading to widespread unrest and eventually to the war.

●During the war, the Awami League provided leadership both within Bangladesh and on the international stage, rallying support for the cause of independence. Many Awami League leaders and activists were involved in organizing resistance against Pakistani military forces and in mobilising civilian support.

●Today the ruling PM of Bangladesh is daughter of the father of Bangladesh and for this makes room for protesters to protest that the ruling party takes most benefit of the quota.

India’s stand

New Delhi has been cautious not to comment and called it an “internal” matter, since Hasina is one of the “most reliable” leaders in the neighbourhood – she was the first head of state to visit India in the third term of the Modi government.
New Delhi’s mission in Dhaka has asked Indian nationals living in Bangladesh to avoid travel and minimise their movement.

Important articles for reference :

INDIA BANGLADESH RELATIONS

VIJAY DIWAS

Remove the wedges in India-Bangladesh ties

Reservation System in India and issues

Sources:

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Can the reservation in jobs solve the issue of inequality and discrimination to certain sections of society in India? Discuss in the context of recent demands for reservation in jobs in various states in India.( 250 Words)