12.

Caste & Indian Politics

Dalit politics,
Reservations &
Social Justice - an Indian context
 Introduction
• Caste – as a marker of identity & social privilege, framework
for arranging and organizing social groups in terms of their
statuses and positions in the social and economic system.
• As an ideology, a system of values and ideas that legitimized
and reinforced the existing structures of social inequality,
subordination & domination
• Stratification- Social hierarchy, varna system, avarnas –
untouchables, jati, purity & pollution, closed system,
peripheral majority (bahujan) marginalised & exploited.
• Colonial rule – utilitarian policies, enumeration &
ethnographic surveys, raised caste consciousness, led to
horizontal consolidation - caste associations as agents of
social mobility, politicised caste, army recruitment, separate
• Nehru in The Discovery of India, 1946: “In the context of
society today, the caste system and ram that goes with it
are wholly incompatible, reactionary, restrictive, and
barriers to progress. There can be no equality in status and
opportunity within its framework, nor can there be political
democracy.... Between these two conceptions conflict is
inherent and only one of the can survive, (p. 257)
• Dr B.R. Ambedkar “You cannot build anything on the
foundations of caste. You cannot build up a nation; you
cannot build up a morality. Anything you will build on the
foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole.
(Ambedkar 102: 102)
• Constitution -FRs, equality, liberty, fraternity, Art 17 & 38,
UAF, positive affirmative actions/ protective discrimination
• whose caste and politics are we talking about?
• Economic and political change did prog, E. alliances & cross-caste
Not end caste, but altered their alliances.
logic • Caste determines electoral
• Traditional to political elites, outcomes; work as PGs, influence
substantialization of caste & governance agenda of the Indian
Deepening of democracy (Yadav state at all levels. BIMARU states.
& Palshikar) becoming more • HCB, Socialist reforms affected
socially inclusive UC, AJGAR, beneficiaries of CDP,
• Caste associations in the long run GR, but join Swatantra Party &
promote competitive politics and BJS
participation, + exacerbate • Ministerial berths – KTK: Lingayat,
parochialism Vokkaliga, Dalits & Muslims; KL:
• Caste provided a readymade form Nairs, Ezhavas, Christians,
of organization, critical for Muslims
political mobilization in electoral • INC – leadership Brahmins,
politics, PPs consolidate support Kayasths, & Kshatriyas. BJS/ BJP -
in vote banks, Caste 'Brahmin-Bania' party. CPI mostly
considerations & equations, tend Brahmins.
 OBC Politics
• OBC Politics - Kalelkar commission Report 1955, 60s - Rammanohar
Lohia’s Samyukta Socialist Party & Non-Congressism
• 70s anti hegemonic coalition - Janata Dal, OBCs Intermediate castes,
middle peasants/ landed gentry
• 80s – 90s 'politics of representation‘(Yadav & Palshikar)
• post 1989 Mandalisation, correct social imbalance, reservations in jobs
• Rise of Mulayam Singh Yadav's SP in UP, Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar,
politics of izzat by Janata Dal (later RJD), challenge demeaning
language of UC (Brahmins, Bhumihars, Rajputs);
• Major challenge to the economic and political interests of India's high-
caste elites (Jaffrelot), FC peasants join BJP, to widen also start OBC
recruitment
• creamy layer -Indira Sawhney vs Union of India (1992), 93 rd CAA, 2005
– education, MH - LSGs
 Dalit Politics
• Jotirao Phule's critique of class movement, Dalit Panther, Dalit
'Brahmanical tyranny and literature, Mahila Sansad, 1990s,
conspiracy‘, MH, Samvadini—Dalit Stree Sahitya
• British – tried to uphold principle of Manch, All India Dalit Women's
procedural justice Forum
• history of non-Brahmanism in • 1990s Rise of Kanshi Ram & and
Madras Presidency – Periyar’s Mayawati’s BSP in UP (SC centric),
Justice Party & DMK, later AIADMK wiped out INC.
in TN, later Gujarat, Bihar, UP, KT, • JDU wrestled away poorer OBCs &
Andhra Maha Dalits from RJD
• Gandhi- Harijan Sevak Sangh, • Tokenism/ marginalised within
temple entry movements party
• Mahad Chavdar tank, Kaluram • Rightwing UC violence - Una – anti
temple, 1950s, B.R. Ambedkar – 30s BJP Youth leadership – Jignesh
SCF, 56- RPI, pedagogy of the Mewani INC, Chandrashekhar Azad
oppressed – Paulo Frier, Ravan’s Bhim Army, VBA in MH,
 • RESERVATIONS & SOCIAL JUSTICE
• B K Nehru: “The communal electorates in a vestigal form still remain in the shape of
reservations for the SCs & STs. They serve to emphasise caste origin and make
people conscious of the caste in which they were born. This is not conducive to
national integration”
• Dr. Ambedkar: “On the 26th of January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of
contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we
will have inequality. In politics we will be recognising the principle of one man one
vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of
our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one
value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall
we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny
it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril. We must
remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment or else those who suffer
from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which is Assembly
has to laboriously built up.”
• Sandra Fredman - notion of substantive equality, of our Constitution, shaped by a
four-dimensional approach: “to redress disadvantage; address stigma, stereotyping,
prejudice, and violence; enhance voice and participation; and accommodate
difference and achieve structural change”
• Venkatachaliah Commission on the working of the Constitution from 1950 to 2000:
 Reservations & Social justice
• Gramsci – subaltern, historically institutions including pvt., whether
marginalised from hierarchies of power aided/unaided, other than the minority
• Materially, socially disadvantaged, educational institutions referred to in clause
otherwise prevented from exercising their (1) of article 30, which in the case of
individual rights as citizens of India (Baxi & reservation would be in addition to the
Parekh 1998). Hence distributional & social existing reservations and subject to a
justice, positive action, Representation maximum of 10% of the total seats in each
• Articles – 16, 17, 38, 39, 46, 243D & T, 330, category.
332- Legislatures, 334 - Public employment, • (6) any special provision for the
95th CAA -time limit, 77th 82nd, 85th CAA – advancement of any economically weaker
consequential seniority, promotions, 338 & sections of citizens other than classes
338 A- National commissions mentioned in clauses (4 & (5); (103rd CAA –
• Para 3 of President's Constitution (SCs) 10%) SC upheld validity
Order, 1950, reservations only to Hindus • Maratha, Gujjar, Patel reservation demands
• Art 15 (4) Nothing in this article or in clause – share in the pie? In Neo- liberal state that
(2) of article 29 shall prevent the State from is withdrawing? Perceived backwardness
making any special provision for the • Discourses on Meritocracy, Brain Drain,
advancement of any socially and Efficiency of govt., Reservation as Poverty
educationally backward classes of citizens or alleviation scheme, Not a FR but a state
for the SCs & STs. discretion, etc.
• (5) related to their admission to educational