Examining Caste-Based Reservations in India

Is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tinkering with the reservation system nothing more than a bid to grab votes in the general election?

India has long had a system of positive discrimination to enable people from lower castes to get political representation, government jobs and university places. But as Rahul Tandon reports, the Prime Minister's decision to broaden the quotas to include anyone from an economically deprived background, irrespective of caste, has proved divisive among voters.

Ed Butler speaks to Ashwini Deshpande, economics professor at Ashoka University, who claims that Modi's move won't even help the underprivileged group it purports to. Plus former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Raghuram Rajan, gives his considered opinion of the successes and failures of five years of economic policy under Modi.

(Picture: An Indian voter queues to cast her vote; Credit: Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images)