The author is obviously trying to gain political mileage out of the riots, not unlike the very politicians that he criticizes so passionately. Justifying riots as a means of protest besides being despicable, is just plain incorrect. This was not a form of protest, this was a case of peeople trying to bully the country into spoon feeding them exactly what they want, whether it is in the larger interests of the nation or not. Riots are a means of holding the country hostage, and should never be tolerated or justified no matter how 'emotional' the people are.
Just because the Dalits have been demanding something does not mean that they should automatically get it. There are other communitiess with a voice in the indian democracy that do not want reservations, and the dalits will have to accept that. If tthe Dalit community wants something, it must achieve it democratically,resorting to riots and justifying them only makes their case weaker.
