-IdeasForIndia.in The Mandal Commission and Sachar Committee reports, among others, have indicated the existence of caste inequalities within the four major caste groups. However, data on this subject remain limited. Using data from a novel 2014-2015 survey conducted in Uttar Pradesh, this article shows that within-group inequalities among upper castes are significantly less, relative to the within-group inequalities observed among both Hindu and Muslim OBCs and Dalits. Broadly, four social groups –...
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UP elections: Minor castes hold key but can’t be taken for granted -JP Yadav
-The Telegraph Akhilesh Yadav is trying to win over segments of these communities, and the extent of his success in the effort may decide his fate on March 10 Ghazipur (on UP-Delhi border), Mirzapur: Ramashankar Yadav, a retired block development officer chatting with fellow villagers at a tea shop in the Madhuban market, looks up suspiciously. “I hope you aren’t from the godi (lapdog) media?” he asks, referring to media outlets seen widely...
More »Mandal vs Kamandal Redux? Caste Is Back as a Major Variable in UP Elections -Gilles Verniers and Christophe Jaffrelot
-TheWire.in BJP has now realised that Hindutva and identity politics by themselves are not enough to win. In post-Mandal India, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s attempt to build electoral alliances tying upper castes and non-dominant OBCs is not new. This is a strategy the party used in the mid-1990s across North India to resist the consolidation of pro-Mandal parties and prevent the formation of large coalitions of “backwards”. Mid-1990s onwards, the BJP distributed...
More »Amit Shah reaches out to Jat leaders from U.P. -Nistula Hebbar
-The Hindu RLD chief Jayant has chosen the wrong house, he says and hints that BJP is open to post-poll alliance. The BJP on Wednesday launched its big outreach programme to the Jat community of western Uttar Pradesh with Union Home Minister Amit Shah promising to “keep in mind” demands from the community for timely payment of sugar cane dues and reservation in jobs, but more importantly, keeping a door open for...
More »Quota, old plus new -Christophe Jaffrelot & Kalaiyarasan A
-The Indian Express There are substantial inequalities even within Dalits. In addition to the 15 per cent quota, the community should also have reservation based on socioeconomic criteria. Reservations are sometimes criticised in a constructive manner by analysts who argue that quotas are cornered by a few jatis at the expense of those who “really need them”. Among Dalits, the Jatavs of Uttar Pradesh and the Mahars of Maharashtra have been...
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