Sense and caste census: Ambedkar's vision and the risk of reversal

The near-unanimous support for the idea from political parties is the result of differing calculations

The problem with Victor Hugo’s famous line — that no power can stop an idea whose time has come — is that it does not tell us what comes after. What happens if an idea turns out to be not so good once it is tried? And when is it time for a not-so-good idea to leave the playing field? But we do know the political corollary to Hugo’s line: No power on earth can stop politicians from pursuing an idea — however dubious — and flogging it to death if it can win them extra votes at election time.