Caste

The idea that 'caste is race plus' may prove effective in drawing world attention to bear on the practice of caste. The practice of caste cannot, however, be eradicated by strategies that merely legitimise caste and caste-based politics. Hence, if we are intent on gaining more than mere political mileage from the proceedings of the Durban conference, it is time to recognise that non-caste secular strategies need to be innovative to eliminate the social evils of caste.

Phoolan Devi belonged to the mallah sub-caste within the most backward castes, whose political importance is on the rise in UP now. And her constituency Mirzapur which had sent her to parliament twice has a large BC population including mallahs. This is why Phoolan Devi who by all reports was not taken seriously in parliament by her colleagues, is being so sought after now, in death.

The demand for Harit Pradesh, to be carved out of 17 districts of western UP, has received a boost following the creation of three new states in 2000. This paper looks at certain issues relating to the demand for Harit Pradesh and argues that the demand in turn, intertwined in the politics of region and caste in UP, is also spearheaded by a section of the jats of western UP. Though the agitation has now moved into its second phase, mobilisation is as yet confined to leaders of a few key communities and social groups, and in recent years, has also been beset with intra-jat conflict.

The pattern of historical development has been different for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes with the latter never having been an integral part of mainstream society. How effective has been the policy of protective discrimination in removing the disabilities suffered by the scheduled tribes? This paper attempts a comparison between the relative benefits to the scheduled tribes and scheduled castes as a result of the policy of protective discrimination. Following upon this, the author examines why one category has fared better than the other.

Until now, in international conferences on apartheid and racism India saw itself as a fighter of freedom and was the official advocate condemning racism, colonialism, apartheid. Suddenly this great role is being threatened, and from within. India is being condemned in the name of universal freedoms as a violator and for what we all along glibly thought was 'an internal affair', caste. Why is caste like race? What are the claims for entry and the objections? What is the method and manner of the argument? And will the move to get caste discrimination to be read as racial discrimination succeed as politics?