In the mid of January this year Modi government presented 10% quota bill for economically weaker section from general category people on the last day of the winter session of the parliament. As expected major opposition parties, including Congress, voted in favor of this bill after some verbal tantrum in debates in the lower and upper house of the parliament. This constitutional amendment bill, giving quota to the forward cast, has bring two major amendments in the article 15 and article 16 of the constitution. The article 15 of the constitution which prohibit the state from making any discrimination on the basis of cast, sex, race and religion has been amended with clause (6) which now give the right to the state to grant quota to the 10% economically weaker section in general category which is separate from the OBC, SC and ST existing reservation of 50% quota in jobs and higher education institution. The another insertion is the clause 6 in Article 16 which authorized the state to give maximum 10% quota to EWS (economically weaker section) in government jobs and education institutions. Article 16 of the constitution gives equality of opportunity in the matter of public employment.
{ Note: This article of mine was appeared in the March issue of Express Star Teller Magazine. The same has been reproduce here for the readers of my blog }
However, this constitution amendment bill is silent on the definition of ‘economically weaker section’ and leave it to the states to notify conditions for the same from time to time. At present the central government has said in the bill that a person will be entitle to economically weaker section (EWS) category if “his annual income is below Rs. 8 Lakh, agricultural land is less than 5 acres, residential house is smaller than 1000 square feet in village or residential plot is smaller than 109 yards in notified municipality or smaller than the 209 yards in non-municipal area”. This eligibility criteria is the biggest flaw of this bill because as per the agricultural census of 2015-16 around 86% of the landholding farmers have less than 5 acres of land with them. According to the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) 2011-12 report 95% of Indian’s in rural and urban areas earn less than 8 lakhs per year. Moreover, the constitution of India under Article 15 (4) says, “ special provisions may be made for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward class and for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes”. But the constitution has given no right to the government to make any special provisions for ‘economically weaker sections’ of society.
If we study this situation astrologically we will find that when last time Saturn was in Sagittarius during 1989-90 the OBC Reservation on Mandal commission report, Ram Temple agitations by BJP and the Bofors scam were the three major political issues that rocked the Indian politics and later bring Earth-shaking changes in the society. After the loss of Rajive Gandhi in general elections of 1989 because of Bofors allegations no other Indian prime minister has shown courage in speeding-up the process of the procurement of defense equipment’s from abroad through big contracts. Narendra Modi did it in case of Rafael in government to government deal with France but is facing charges of nepotism. Now Saturn is again transiting in Sagittarius; look how the Rafael and Augusta scandals have come into the limelight, BJP is feeling nervous on the slow progress of Ram Temple case in the Supreme Court and then this ‘Pandora box’ of reservation now opened by non-other then Narendra Modi himself who is believed to be the staunch supporter of privatization and disinvestment policy.
New Moon horoscope
6 January 2019 , 06:58 hours at Delhi
This constitution amendment bill giving “10% quota to the forward cast” was brought in the fortnight starting from 6th of January when the planetary position was adverse for the government. In the Sagittarius Paksha Kundali or lunar horoscope the lagna lord Jupiter falls in the 12th house with 6th lord Venus showing legal disputes. The 8th lord Moon is in the lagna and the 7th house of opposition is getting the joint aspect of malefics Mars and Saturn. It was no surprise that this constitution amendment bill was challenged in the Supreme Court on the 10th of January on the next day when it was cleared by the Rajya Sabha (upper house).
Indian Republic Horoscope
26 January 1950, 10:18 hours at Delhi
In the Pisces lagna horoscope of Indian Republic given here the Vimshottari dasha of Jupiter-Ketu ( May 2018 to May 2019) is in operation. Jupiter is the lord of lagna and Ketu is with the 9th house lord Mars indicating higher judiciary involvement. The sub period lord Ketu is placed in the 7th house. In the last six month we have seen so many important Supreme Court judgments in the matters related with sex and marital laws. The landmark judgments of apex court scraping ‘section 377- declaring gay sex not a crime….’ and striking down section 497- making adultery not a crime were come in the month of September 2018 during this sub period of Ketu. There will be no surprise if this matter of ‘10% quota for forward cast’ will get decided by the apex court during the upcoming Jupiter-Venus period from May 2019 to December 2021. Venus as the lord of 8th house is placed in the 11th house of the law enacted by the parliament. Venus is conjoined with 6th lord Sun and the lagna and 8th lord Jupiter showing the possible historic judgments by the apex court which will largely effect the Indian society. In Navamsha Venus is strongly placed in the 10th house with the 10th lord Moon . In all likelihood when the transiting Saturn and Jupiter will come into Makar rashi, which is the 11th house of the Indian Republic horoscope, the apex court may deliver some big verdict on the ‘forward cast quota bill’ , ‘Ayodhya Ram Temple case’ and some important laws related with marriage as signified by the Venus. The matter of ‘Nikha-Halala’ and ‘polygamy in Muslims’ may reach to the apex court soon. All these important events are likely to occur in the most enigmatic manner in year 2020.
Saturn in Makar and Important Judgments on Reservation cases
Now coming back to reservation issue again, last time when Saturn was in Capricorn (Makar) in 1992 the 9 judges constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had given a decisive verdict of putting a cap of 50% at the reservations in the Indira Sawhney & others Vs. Union of India case. The apex court had also given orders to imply ‘creamy layer’ condition in OBC quota to exclude economically well-off sections from the benefits of reservations. Interestingly in 1963 also Saturn was in Capricorn when the Supreme Court had put a cap of 50% on the collages reservations of seats in the ‘MR Balaji & Others Vs. Mysore AIR 1963 SC 649’ case. But this judgment has not been implemented by Tamil Nadu which, thanks to the 9th Schedule of constitution, is giving 69% of reservations. In Rajasthan and Maharashtra the reservations have also exceeded the 50% of limit and cases have been filed against it in the High courts of respective states.
Now if we go back to 1932 when historic ‘Poona Pact’ was signed between Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatama Gandhi in which Gandhi was able to pursue the Dalit leaders to discard the British proposal for separate electorate and giving minority status to the SC and ST community. In return the SC and ST communities were offered the 19% of seats in the provincial’s legislatures in British India by the Congress party on the commitment of Gandhi . Congress party also agreed to give the adequate representations to the depress classes (SC and ST) in the civil services. The ‘Poona Pact’ later become the foundation of India’s affirmative policy.
Foundation Horoscope of India
15 August 1947, 00:00 hours at Delhi
In the foundation horoscope of India the Vimshottari dasha of Moon-Jupiter is running from August 2018 to December 2019. Jupiter as the 11th lord of ‘laws enacted in the parliament’ is falling in the 6th house of court cases. During this sub period of Jupiter it-self it is highly likely that Supreme court may put a ‘stay’ on the ‘124th Constitutional amendment bill giving 10% quota for forward cast’ passed by the Modi government. Later when the transiting Saturn will reach into the Capricorn, the 9th house of the foundation chart of India, the apex court may give some landmark judgment in this case filed by the ‘Youth for Equality’ against the Union Government of India on the matter of ‘10% quota for forward cast’. The Supreme Court may not only cancel this ‘10% quota for forward cast’ terming it as Unconstitutional but it can also further make some important judgments which would adversely affect the state governments giving more than 50% of reservations in jobs and education institution. Saturn-Jupiter transiting from ‘Makar’ (Capricorn) in the 9th house of higher judiciary are likely to bring equality and justice in the reservation policy for higher education and government jobs by the means of big ‘Supreme court verdicts’.
In year 2020-21 the Moon-Saturn dasha in the foundation horoscope of India can also bring decisive judgment on the Ram Temple case in favor of Hindu litigants. So the politics of ‘Mandal and Kamandal’ is going to influence the Indian political scene again like it did during the last time when Saturn was transiting at the junction of Sagittarius and Capricorn in 1989-1991. The Supreme Court may this time force the central government to make the ‘cast census’ public which could further effect the social fabric of Indian society like it has happen after the implementation of Mandal report giving 27% quota to the OBC in central government jobs.
