Is Caste Politics Assertion Politics?



Akhilesh Yada (left) and Mayawati. Credit: PTI
  • I was reading a piece during elections in an independent news website. Check the link to the article in the end. It was titled: Assertion Politics: Not identity Politics. I must say it had hell of an insight. Nobody thinks it that way; atleast I never did. Only those who have been themselves affected by Caste-inequality at some point of their lives could feel it in that manner. Or those who have a firsthand experience of working with people of oppressed caste could think that way. For me, it was something entirely new. I had always seen caste-politics as something unfortunate, primitive, illogical and anti-development. While it is true that it does qualify for all these adjectives, however it forgets the fact that for some, caste is as basic as food and water. They live in a society which had associated their entire life around a particular 'class'. And this has been from centuries. Democracy is relatively very new. Caste-oppression is not. It is there for 2000 years, while democracy hasn't completed a century. People still live in different colonies based on their caste. They still eat, drink and celebrate, marry and die in their own caste. For highly advanced cities, this might not be true. For villages and small town it is. Now when a person from their caste moves out and capture power and rule those who did not even bother to look at 'them' properly, democracy triumphs. Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav did same. They came to power and showed the Brahamans their 'place'. The Lower-caste people must have been happy when Mayawati came into power for the first time. Democracy did that in 50 years what they couldn't do in two thousand years. Quite a Victory ! The Wire seemed so impressed with this culture that it asked them to replicate throughout the country. That is how they will 'assert' their position in Bharat.
But what is next? Nothing, she just seemed to enjoy power. Job done. Now she will think about the underprivileged in the next election. It is indeed a question what have the 'lower'- caste leaders done for making structural changes in the society which is deeply divided on caste and communal lines, apart from playing appeasing politics of providing freebies on election times.
Kanshiram stated "Political power is the master key that can unlock all locks/doors." It is true but how far they have locked doors. Despite being in power for so many years, the lives of dalits are still devoid of basic needs, respect and dignity. Development is the key and not caste-appeasing politics.

Apart from allocating seats according to the majority caste( which almost every party does) she did the following things.
  • ·    She conducts Jagrans before every election of dalits where she tells through folk songs and preachings that how have they been exploited by providing them a place in Hindu Mythology. 
  •      The only positive point seems is unspoken rule of allocating projects to Dalits under 10 lacs. However this isn't a systematic way of reducing caste-inequality as only the rich builders, who have secured a great amount of political power from the community seem to benefit from the rule.

·       Also, during the initial phase of her reign she was known for the strict implementation of The ST and SC (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. But with time, it faded.

What else she did for the 'removing' caste barriers? Did she conducted any sensitization programs for people of all 'çaste'? Did she try to develop a curriculum that impresses the young minds to have a caste-free outlook?


The problem is the politicians as well as the citizens have believed that the caste is an inherent flaw of the Bharatiya mindset. It can be changed. If we can develop the national consciousness. however it is not easy. Removing such a basic identity from people's minds is a daunting task. While there might be many solutions, some fundamental changes we can bring by adopting certain measures:

·        Public schooling in villages has to be modernised like private schools in cities. Only standard quality education can change the face of structure of Indian society, The students of private school encounter problems of caste segregation significantly less than that of rural public schools.
·        There was a suggestion by a Quora user recently which I found quite insightful. To not use surnames for a while. While this seems a shockingly impossible option, given the intense way we identify ourselves by our surnames, a fraction of Hindus could consider this. Or some part of it.

The point is a lot can be achieved for reducing caste inequalities if we sit together and discuss. But caste-appeasement is no more a solution.

Link to the Article being discussed: https://thewire.in/114271/in-bihar-and-uttar-pradesh-politics-of-assertion-and-not-identity/

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