Articles by Muzaffar Assadi

The May 2013 election to the Karnataka legislative assembly saw the Congress decisively beat the Bharatiya Janata Party. Apart from the ruling party's many misdeeds, what worked against it in a big way was that the minorities, Other Backward Classes, and dalits swung back to their traditional platform, the Congress.

The current protests against reservation in Karnataka may appear to be largely political in nature. But the protests overlook the historical nature and the wider repercussions in the polity, society and economy that the issue of reservations has had in the state. As a group, the "other backward classes" have come to constitute a politically significant section of the populace. But even as the protests unfold over reservations in government-run higher education institutions, these overlook the fact that the OBC community is in a state of flux and divisions within them indicate that a new social coalition is in the making.

Although the Naxalites in Karnataka work among the masses, their struggle has never translated into a popular mass movement; rather it is an armed struggle of the 'squads' or 'dalams'. One consequence of this Naxalite adventurism is the increasing marginalisation of social movements in the state. It also helps the Hindutva lobby to consolidate and expand its base at the cost of popular movements.

In recent years, a new confident Hindutva has enforced its presence in several districts of coastal Karnataka, seeking to consolidate its base among diverse castes. Yet, to combat the bonds of economic cohesion and cultural cohabitation that still retain their resilience among communities - Hindu and Muslim, this new Hindutva will need to continually build new identities and deconstruct existing ones.

A 'seed tribunal' was recently held in Karnataka where farmers from various parts of India testified to their problems regarding agriculture. In the face of large-scale suicides by farmers in India, such a meeting assumes enormous significance. The testimonies of the farmers revealed their frustrations, while the jury's 'verdict' ignored important issues.