Mandal issue
Also called: Mandalisation · Topic: Recent Developments in Indian Politics: Coalitions, Mandal and a New Consensus · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 8 "Recent Developments in Indian Politics"
Meaning
The "Mandal issue" is the political conflict that followed the National Front government's decision to implement the Mandal Commission report. That commission was the Second Backward Classes Commission, headed by B.P. Mandal, and it reported in 1980. A government order dated 13 August 1990 gave OBCs 27% of central government jobs. Violent anti-Mandal protests broke out in north Indian cities. The issue also made OBCs more aware of their shared identity, and it reshaped party politics.
Example
In Indra Sawhney (November 1992), a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court upheld the OBC quota. But it:
- left out the creamy layer (the better-off among OBCs);
- set a 50% limit on total reservation;
- struck down a 10% economic quota;
- barred reservation in promotions.
Don't confuse with
- Mandal Commission report (1980): the report was the recommendation. The Mandal issue was the political storm that followed when it was put into effect in 1990.