Is Reservation for sports icons the right move?

Telengana Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao announced that there would be a 2 per cent reservation in government jobs for sportspersons. This was announced by the CM when he met some of the homeward bound Commonwealth Games medallists. This 2 per cent is going to be adjusted to the stipulated 50% reservations that is sanctioned by the Supreme Court of India and is being termed as "horizontal" in nature. While this is being hailed as a welcome gesture by many, there is a thing or two to consider before applauding the move. The 50 per cent reservation that is implemented in government jobs is essentially kept aside for the backward classes, i.e. SC, ST, OCs and BCs. The 2 per cent quota is going to be integrated into the 29% reservation for BCs, namely, 4 per cent Muslims, 15%SCs and 6 per cent STs. In this category of reservations, every category that is not the newly integrated one of sports is based on religion or caste and creed. Clasping sports in with these other reserved categories not only shakes the very basis of reservations but also undermines the need for representation of the backward classes. It is not difficult to understand that the whole point of having reservations is to make sure that the lesser represented parts of the society, receive representation and have their voices heard in the affairs of the government. There is no reason to club iconic athletes in this category, even if the gesture is one of good will. It not only puts sports icons in a position that is unsuitable, but most importantly it compromises with a space that exists specifically for communities that already have either been subjected to oppression or are not represented enough. It is probably wise to take a step back and wonder exactly how good this step is. _____________________________________________________________________

Those who were honoured include Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Srikanth Kidambi, Rankireddy Satwik Sairaj, N Sikkireddy, G Ruthvika Shivani, HSK Prannoy, Pranav Chopra, Chirag Shetty and Ashwini Ponnappa (badminton), Aruna Budda Reddy and Meghana Gundlapally (gymnastics), Gagan Narang and Kynan Darius Cheni (shooting), Hasamuddin Mohammed (boxing), Sharath Kamal Achanta (table tennis) andRahul Venkata Ragala (weightlifting). Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand was also part of the delegation.CM KCR lauded them for bringing laurels to the country in sports.