Where politics of caste goes wrong
- Caste plays a significant role in regulating life chances in India, making caste counting essential for addressing social inequalities.
- However, the political landscape often impedes such counting and the evaluation of social disparities.
Caste Politics and Dynastic Power
- While social equality is lauded in political rhetoric, it is sometimes used to consolidate power in political dynasties.
- These dynasties often appeal to caste and communal sentiments to gain and maintain authority.
The Gandhi-Ambedkar Compromise
- Constitutional provisions for SCs, STs and Backward Classes in India were based on the Gandhi-Ambedkar compromise.
- These aimed at proportional representation as a means of empowerment.
- It assumed that such representation would lead to social mobility, acting as a model for other community members, instilling self-respect and aspirations for a better life.
The Challenge of Creamy Layers
- Unfortunately, the expected demonstration effects of reservations have not worked as intended.
- Creamy layers within OBC, SC and ST categories have garnered benefits, leading to demands for special quotas within these categories and reclassification.
- Even dominant castes have sought reservations, highlighting the creamy layers that prevent benefits from reaching the marginalised.
The Formation of Creamy Layers
- Creamy layers develop as early beneficiaries of reservations build social and cultural capital to monopolize privileges, affecting later entrants within the reserved categories.
- This phenomenon poses a significant challenge to combating social inequality and necessitates closer examination.
The Role of Family in Creamy Layer Formation
- In India, the institution of the family exacerbates creamy layer formation.
- Kinship ties and family bonds contribute to nepotism, with all family members gaining importance.
- Battling social inequality in India must extend to challenge the institution of the Indian family.
The Neglect of Public Institutions
- The politics of caste, including discussions on caste counting, diverts attention from the crucial task of nurturing public institutions, particularly in education and healthcare.
- India is lacking in both the number and quality of such institutions, leading to a decline in the overall quality of public institutions.
Conclusion
- There is a need to address creamy layer formation, nepotism, and the decline in public institutions to combat social inequality effectively, moving beyond the politics of caste.