Woman's Post On Leaving India By "Compulsion" Sparks Heated Debate On Reservation

An Indian woman opened up about the "compulsion" of leaving India for higher education. In an emotional post on LinkedIn, the woman named Astha Srivastava shared her opinion on the reservation policy, sparking a heated debate. In her post, she expressed that her decision to leave wasn't by "choice", but became mandatory because of India's reservation policies that she believes have limited her opportunities.

She said she graduated with high marks from Lucknow University but faced issues in pursuing higher studies in India, despite clearing the Common Admission Test (CAT) with a top percentile. She claimed that admissions were denied, with seats going to candidates with lower scores due to reservation policies.

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See her post here:

"I studied at Lucknow University, graduating with high marks. I worked harder still, cleared CAT with a top percentile, and dreamed of joining the best institutes in India," she said.

"Yet, admissions were denied. Seats went to candidates with far lower scores, not because of merit, but because of reservation policies. In 2013, I compromised and joined FMS instead of an IIM."

"Fast forward to 2025: I cleared GMAT with a strong score, aspiring again to study at the finest Indian institutions. But history repeated itself".

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She claimed that she could not secure admission due to limited seats for the General category despite being in the top percentile.

She also stated that countless other aspirants in India have also met with a similar fate. "Talented, hardworking minds who dream of serving the nation but are pushed away by a system that has become increasingly unfair," she wrote.

The post has triggered a discussion about India's reservation policies, with some users resonating with her experience and others disagreeing.

"Reservation was once a noble corrective step - a shield for the historically discriminated. But today, it has morphed into a tool of political arithmetic, often sidelining those who are equally marginalized economically, yet excluded from support. What began as justice has turned into another form of discrimination," she wrote, urging for equal opportunity.

Social media reaction

One user wrote, "Fully agree! Every nation grows stronger when its systems honor talent and hard work above all else. The account shared above highlights what happens when policies, originally designed for justice, are allowed to become roadblocks to equally deserving and marginalized individuals outside the protected categories."

"All the best....Resonate with you 100 percent. Here all political parties are feeding this reservation crap everyday," a second user wrote.

Explaining the situation, a third user wrote: "In India, it a senstivie topic. Reservation is required for the marginalised and must continue, but the flaw in today's approach is the same reservation is being inherited e.g if parents benefited from the reservation, it continues to their wards as well."

"If the law can limit the reservation to perhaps 1 generation, where the once marginalised have been given equal opportunity to flourish, the furtheron family members can compete with both intellectual and economical quotient as the general category," the user continued.