Social exclusion

This study analyses the interrelationships between caste, class and politics in a village in West Bengal and looks into the reasons for the relative absence of the rural proletariat in the political process. This relationship has been drawn both at the level of the panchayat raj institutions and the organisational structure of the dominant political party in the village.

In January the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) rusticated 10 dalit students and registered police complaints against them for resorting to violence on the campus. While the students were confined in a police lock-up for six days, several groups unsuccessfully attempted to persuade the university authorities to reconsider its decision. The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the university to take an immediate decision on the appeal filed by the students. What caused the incident and what is at stake in this conflict?

Dialectics of Caste and Casteism C P Bhambhri POLITICAL parties and intellectuals of every theoretical and ideological persuasion have to grapple with the changing dynamics of Indian caste system and Javeed Alam in his

Among the oppressed the appeal to caste is for unification of similar 'jatis' into larger collectivities and political mobilisation for power so as to subvert the very relations of the 'varna' order. Caste appeal here is, therefore, far from being casteism. On the other hand, the self-perceived transcendence of the traditionally hegemonic middle class from caste consciousness has rapidly collapsed in the last decade. There has been a steady decomposition of the consciousness of the middle class into articulated caste interests of brahmins, thakurs and so on. Within the Muslim communities there has been a shift away from concerns of security to those of equality and dignity - a politics in affinity to that of the dalits and the OBCs for recognition. They are therefore no more a vote bank; it is a case of alignment of interests of a secular nature, a social coalition of oppressed forces. This fusion of opposite tendencies and intercession of contrary forces has rendered the process of democratisation more and more complicated so that simple judgments become one-sided and are a sure source of misunderstanding.

Studies of two villages from Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, tell us a story of the emergence of backward castes in local politics. These unirrigated villages have not seen green revolution or any improvement in agricultural technology, which has prevented the strengthening of earlier class/caste power structure. It has allowed backward castes to improve their position socially and also in landownership.