-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 –...

-TheFederal.com BJP’s second consecutive win in Uttar Pradesh shows the electorate’s overwhelming acceptance for Hindutva politics despite personal grievances against policies that have led to mass-scale unemployment, rising prices, and other issues that seemingly hit closer home BJP has not just broken the Uttar Pradesh jinx of 35 years to score the second consecutive win in the state assembly elections, its victory is going to set the course of Indian politics till...

-The Hindu The farmers’ movement has strengthened the bonds between Muslims and Jats in western Uttar Pradesh The revival of grassroots secularism in western Uttar Pradesh, which is lifting the veil of fear for Muslims, is among the most rewarding benefits of the farmer’s movement in north India. The movement strengthened the social and cultural bonds between Jats and Muslims whose communal harmony of many decades took a beating during the violence...

-Hindustan Times Hindu-Muslim polarisation is not as outwardly visible despite being an everyday reality. Many Jats, who once openly voted on the basis of a “Hindu identity”, are fighting the election side-by-side with Muslims due to the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance Pichli baar leher thi. Hum bhi leher mein doob gaye. (There was a wave last time. We also drowned in it.) In September 2013, the Muzaffarnagar riots killed 60...

-The Hindu Only if the Samajwadi Party-led coalition wins by a large margin can it be assured of government formation It is clear that the fierce electoral battle for Uttar Pradesh is mainly between the Akhilesh Yadav-led gathbandhan (coalition) and the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even if it appears multi-cornered on paper. The failure of unity among supposedly secular parties against the BJP once again demonstrates not just their half-hearted...