‘Caste is a state of mind. It is a disease of mind.’ An idea put forth by the principal architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, has proved to be true over time. Even after 75 years of independence, 75 years of a society whose very founding principles are equality and social justice, the epidemic of caste continues to plague the august institution of democracy that this nation venerates.
Role of Caste in Indian Politics:
Although the historic origins of caste are highly debated, there is no doubt that this harrowing phenomenon was distorted, propagated, and institutionalized in the foundation of modern India by the British colonizers. Post-independence, these notions continued to exist in Indian society. In efforts to ameliorate the caste inflammation, the Constitution-makers made way for reforms in the Indian Constitution. Rights against discrimination and those for equality (Article 14, 15, 16), abolition of untouchability (Article 17) helped to improve the situation. Subsequent efforts like the passage of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1976 helped further. However, the situation on the ground still remained worrisome with caste identities being rampant among the general population.
Subsequently, Indian politics saw a ‘second democratic upsurge’ from the late 1980s with the lower castes mobilizing against this discrimination. This period saw higher voter turnouts and representation of lower castes in state and national assemblies. Regional parties which rose, like the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, propagated caste-empowerment and resisted upper-caste hegemony in bureaucracy and government.
Published studies have evidently shown that the influence of caste has been declining since the mid-1990s but this institution is so deeply entrenched in the social and political structure of this country that it is practically impossible to get rid of it in our current setting. Caste plays a pivotal role in political socialization and leadership recruitment. Right from their birth, Indian citizens are branded with a caste which obviously bears an impact on their political attitudes, beliefs, and orientations. They bet on caste solidarity to exercise their right as voters and often bet on leaders based on caste equations rather than abilities. Caste influences the leadership recruitment process.
This is particularly true of caste-conscious people of States like Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh. In Haryana, leaders often belong to the Jaat, Bishnoi, or Brahmin community. In Andhra Pradesh, Reddys, Kammas, and Velamas, provide state leaders. Caste factor is a component of the Indian party system. In India, there are so many caste-based political parties which try to promote and protect the interest of a particular caste. The regional political parties, in particular, stand predominantly influenced by the caste factor. For example, DMK and AIADMK are essentially non-Brahmin or anti-Brahmin political parties from Tamil Nadu.
While nominating their candidates from different constituencies the political parties keep in mind the caste of the candidate and the caste of the voters in that particular constituency. In the election campaigns, votes are demanded in the names of caste. Caste groups are tapped for committed support. The candidates ask for votes in the name of caste and raise slogans like ‘Jaat ki beti Jaat ko, Jaat ka vote Jaat ko’ which does have a decisive impact on the voters belonging to that particular caste.
Problems with Caste Politics:
Though initially meant to raise the voices of the previously unheard classes and strive for their upliftment, it has gradually degraded into petty vote-bank politics. Political leaders tap into the emotional frustration of the masses and benefit off of it. A classic example is the case of Uttar Pradesh where in spite of having two caste-based political parties i.e. SP and BSP, who have been in power for a considerable amount of time, there still exist horrifying caste inequalities be it social or economic. Some inherent problems with this kind of political set-up are –
It leads to divisions in the society. Groups often aim to progress at the cost of others.
These divisions express themselves as violence at times.
Voters very often disregard talented candidates for undeserving candidates solely on the basis of caste.
Pertinent issues have to suffer at the cost of factional politics.
This system doesn’t promote the comprehensive development of society as a whole.
The Indian experience suggests that even after politicians ditch them, voters still vote for them simply because of the caste pride deeply ingrained in them.
It leads to the politics of revenge between different castes.
Possible Solutions:
It is high time the Indian electorate does away with this evil because in this manner, it is not desirable for any of the sides on either side of the caste spectrum. Possible solutions can be –
Caste-based violence must be eliminated through well-organized efforts.
The recognition of caste-based political parties must be revoked.
The Election Commission must take note of outright caste-based appeals by leaders.
The most important of all is to EDUCATE the masses, especially the younger generations, so that these caste identities do not establish themselves in the minds of youngsters.
Following this, gradually caste-based reservation must be replaced with economic condition-based reservation, cutting across the divisions of religion or caste, for the upliftment of the poorer sections as a whole.
Author’s Perspective:
This subject continually disturbs me, for very important issues like employment, income distribution, economic development, scientific R&D, and sector-specific problems often find themselves in the back seat during elections. The leaders as well as the people are so very engrossed in futile caste-politics that they often forget to take stock of the incumbent government and do not demand alternate solutions from the opposition. The essence of a democracy has been drowned in the flood of factional politics.
I feel a very big reason for this is not political leaders but the people themselves. They have been so conditioned with their birth-based identities that they are not ready to look beyond their own communities. They are ready to go to extents which severely restrict the egalitarian principles of India.
Another reason which motivated me to write this is the scary situation that is arising among the youth of this country. We often see caste-pride slogans reverberating in the corridors of high schools. They feel pride in identifying with their groups and often pin down others. It induces a feeling of xenophobia among them for others. This is very haunting for we are not ready to sacrifice another generation to these caste prejudices. We need to eradicate the institution of caste itself and it is only possible by conditioning the upcoming generations to not believe in these divisions. Older generations are very tough to correct and thus the only way that remains is to educate the up and coming.
In conclusion, this problem which is not specific to any particular religion but exists in some form or other across most religions, must be eliminated in its entirety, if we wish to see India@100 as a developed nation. Otherwise, we must be ready to see India deteriorate into a factional electoral autocracy.
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