Caste War

 

 

The caste cauldron is simmering once again. Right after the clashes in Punjab, the caste war reared its head, in the streets of Rajasthan and the National Capital. Men died, in a bid to pressurise the government to demote them in the caste hierarchy. Politicians lapped up the idea, playing games over the dead bodies.

Over the years, which is now evident from the Gujjar-Meena showdown, the caste leaders sensed that one has to move backwards to gain in this country. From OBC to MBC (Most backward class), OBC to ST, and from General category to OBC, the mantra became: climb down the caste ladder to move up the societal ladder. The temporary truce brought in hurriedly by Vasundhra Raje has opened up a pandora’s box, and once again fanned the fire of politics of blackmail. TSI’s Anil Pandey files this report from ground zero.

We meet him on the Agra-Jaipur highway, near Sikandara. He is the one whose eyes do not nurse hopes of a bright future; instead they burn with the fire of hatred. Till yesterday, he would share lewd jokes with his friends, and now, the axe he carries menacingly over his shoulders, bays for their blood. We are returning from Patoli village – the ground zero of the Gujjar protest – to Dausa. Only the vehicles of paramilitary forces and the army whiz past us, breaking the monotony of silence. The only things visible on the road are burnt tyres and vehicles. Damaged police stations stand as souveniers of the peoples’ wrath. Gujjar protestors, carrying swords, axes and iron rods, are keeping a watch on every passing vehicle. On the National Highway 11, the protestors have put huge slabs of stones and electrical poles as blockades. Railways tracks have been damaged at various places; railway gates have been broken. After clearing the blockades at various places, we have managed to cover a distance of sixty kilometers. At one blockade, the vehicle comes to a screeching halt.

From the group, a young man, carrying a machete in his hands, approaches us. “We have learnt that near Balaji, the Meenas have killed a few Gujjars and burnt their motorcycle; is this true?” he asks us. We deny it. The truth is that we had, in fact, witnessed a group of slogan-shouting Meenas, badly thrashing a Gujjar youth and setting his motorcycle on fire. Not that the police was not there. But the moment the Meena group surged forward, the police van beat a retreat. Had it been not for our team, the Gujjar would have probably met a gory death. The man leading the Meenas is Sukhlal, who is a postgraduate. “We will not let the Gujjars bite into our cake. If the Gujjars don’t clear the siege at Patoli, we will hound them away,” he declares. His statement gets approval from the crowd, which begins to shout, hurling abuses. “We will see how food supplies to Gujjar pockets passes through this way. If they don’t move, we will ensure that they starve to death,” shouts a Meena youth. Earlier, the Gujjar leader who had stopped our vehicle had passed on similar threats. “If you meet any Meena in the way, tell him that there are two-hundred Gujjar villages along this highway. If they touch one of us, we will destroy them completely,” he hisses. With a highly-charged round of slogans, the name of Gujjar deities is invoked. In this war, the Gods, perhaps, can’t be left behind. The leader’s name is Rajbeer Singh Gujjar. A graduate, he says he has been unemployed for three years. He feels that the Meenas want to lick off the entire cream; that is why, he says, they won’t let the Gujjars be categorised as Scheduled Tribe. “Gujjars and Meenas come from the same societal background. But they have moved miles ahead because of the reservation, while we have been left behind. We don’t have a single IAS officer whereas all the government offices across the country are full of Meena officers. From peon to DGP – they occupy every chair,” rues Rajbeer. The issue is settled for three months, till the three-member commission gives its recommendation. “We are willing to pay any cost for getting it settled in our favour,” says Gujjar leader Man Singh. As the two communities watch from the margins, the battle over caste turns into a battle for existence now. The leaders have come out openly in favour of their respective communities. The politics has made the matters complex rather than simplifying it. As of now, all signs emerging from Rajasthan look like an ominous warning. “This turmoil has political undertones”

Are you happy with the provisions in the agreement?

The agreement has been cut between Gujjar community and Government. They have their own fight and differences. We are not a player in this agreement. Yes, we are happy that the agreement at least stopped the blood-bath in Rajasthan that had made life miserable.

If the Commission recommends the inclusion of Gujjar Community in the Scheduled Tribe list then what shall be your reaction?

The Commission shall take any decision in accordance to the constitution. If, as per the provisions of the constitution, Gujjars qualify for the Scheduled Tribe category, then why would they have been kept in the OBC list in the first place? It only signifies that Gujjars do not meet the required qualification. We are more than confident that the decision shall be in our favour.

Gujjars maintain that they have been categorised as Scheduled Tribe in J&K and Himachal Pradesh; then why should be it different in Rajasthan? Reports by Lokur Committee and noted historian Colonel Tard, too, vindicate their stand.

There are more than 80 million Meenas in India but only 7 million of them who reside in Rajasthan have been bestowed with the benefits of reservation. The social status of a community varies from state to state. Nevertheless, when Meenas were included in the ST category, 45 years ago, the then government had turned down a similar request by Gujjars.

People believe it were Meenas who attacked Gujjars first and that instigated the present round of caste violence in Rajasthan?

I don’t know who attacked whom first but if it is Meenas who did it first then I call it unfortunate. I denounce it completely. I tell you, this turmoil has political undertones or how could you explain its sudden emergence amidst talk of coming elections? “Gujjars are more aware of their rights now”

You had earlier asserted that till the time the state government does not recommend Gujjars to be included in the ST list, the agitation will not be called off?

Yes, we had maintained this stand in the early phase of struggle and this was extensively discussed between us and the CM. But as the CM has assured us that the decision shall be in our favour, we have also considered her request.

Is it not true that such assurances have been given by CM’s in the past too, but have remained unfulfilled? You still succumbed to pressure tactics? Look! You will have to believe what the administration says. There is no way out. Nevertheless, the scenario has changed dramatically down the years. Gujjars are more aware of their rights now.

If you feel that the state government vindicates your stand then why is it shying away from recommendation? Don’t you think that commissions are a mere eyewash?

No, don’t put it like that. She herself was sceptical of the fact that if the recommendation letter is not well-drafted then there are chances that it will be returned by the Central Government. She wants to complete her homework and tabulate required documents before sending the recommendation letter to the Centre, and that is why this commission has been formed.

What if the Commission does not vindicate your stand?

We are well prepared. We do not believe in rhetoric and anarchy. We have ample evidence and documents to vindicate our stand. We are more than sure that the commission will give report in our favor. In the past, the community was leaderless. No body spoke for us. It was because we had very limited or no influence in the political process. Consequently, we remained unheard. The quota backlash

Why can’t things be handled before they go out of control? Sanjay Basak on the ‘national shame.’

“It is to be noted that nowhere else in the world do castes, classes or communities queue up for the sake of gaining backward status,” thus observed Supreme Court while staying 27 per cent OBC reservations in central education institutions.

The recent violence in Rajasthan and the subsequent decision of the state government to consider the Gujjar demand to grant them the Scheduled Tribe status has once again exposed the dark side of the quota politics.

Setting up of a three-member committee, headed by a former High Court judge, to study the Gujjar demand, has for the time being made that hydra- headed monster of caste politics go back to sleep. The BJP and Rajasthan chief minister, Vasundhra Raje could breathe a sigh of relief. But the relief is temporary.

The BJP under Raje had promised to take steps to enlist Gujjars in the ST category. But once assuming power, the safrron brass did not officially recommend inclusion of the Gujjar community in the Scheduled Tribe category.

Gujjars were granted OBC status in 1993. The community became somewhat restless when former Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee granted OBC status to the Jat community in 1999. The Gujjars realised that with the powerful Jat community getting the OBC status, their share in the reservation pie would drastically come down. Hence the Gujjars shifted the focus to ST category, much to the chagrin of the Meena community. The Meenas were in no mood to share their reservation benefits with the Gujjars. While Gujjars comprise nearly five per cent of Rajasthan’s vote bank, Meenas have a vote share of at least 12 per cent. Moreover, Meenas virtually control the administration. With a literacy rate of 20 per cent, the Gujjars have no IPS or an IAS officer in the state. The community has merely a dozen gazetted officials in the state service. In comparison, a large number of IAS and IPS officers in the state belong to the Meena community.

Today Raje is in a tight corner following the rapid erosion of her powerful Jat vote bank. Last year, Raje was held responsible when the police opened fire on the Jat farmers, agitating over water for irrigation in the state. This was the first flashpoint, when cracks started appearing within the BJP main vote bank. Raje could possibly face consolidation of the Gujjars and Jats against the BJP. Caught in a series of controversies she is also facing dissident activities in the state. Eventually there could be an outcry for a change of guard in the state.

Meanwhile, the Congress, which is in complete disarray in Rajasthan, will also be looking at the opportunity to win over the Jats and the Gujjars. The story is not merely about Gujjars, Meenas, BJP and Raje; the quota politics being played by different outfits to divide the society and rule is threatening to boomerang. The regional satraps and caste-lords are becoming a law unto themselves. Raje, Congress and the BJP know for certain that they have not seen the end of it. Letting the dinosaur in

While fiddling with the DNA of caste, politicians have turned India into a Jurrasic Park, writes Rahul Pandita

It is much more than a simple trait of resurgent atavism. Afterall, in Mahabharata, when Eklavya, the lower caste boy is asked to part with his thumb by the Pandava Guru Dhronacharya, he does it unflinchingly. But now, modern Eklavyas would sever hands of those who asked them to remove even a hangnail. The times, they surely have changed. The happenings in Rajasthan or for that matter the recent violence in Punjab are nothing but a forecast of dangers that could lie ahead.

In March this year, when the Supreme Court stayed the 27 percent OBC quota in Central educational institutes, it also warned the government that communities jostling with each other for quota benefits could spell doom in future. But the UPA government did not pay any heed. It was too busy hobnobbing with power brokers for favourable outcome in state elections. In Rajasthan, meanwhile, Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje was basking in the glory of her portrayal as Goddess Annapoorna, by a few sycophant ministers.

The Gujjar community had long back laid its eyes upon the benefits the Meena community enjoyed in Rajasthan and elsewhere. The Meenas, classified as tribals since 1953, are the lone community in the Scheduled Tribe category in Rajasthan. Fearing that the demotion of Gujjars from OBC to Scheduled Tribe category would eat into their share, the Meenas opposed the inclusion of Gujjars into the ST category.

By the time the state government could realise, the blood had spilled over on the streets. In no time, the agitation spread to other states, resulting in loss of life and large-scale destruction of government property. The societal fabric was torn into shreds. The fence would be mended, but the dinosaurs of division had already passed through. Ironically, the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa, who have the largest number of tribals, are represented poorly in the ST category. A majority of quota under this category goes to Rajasthan and Northeast. Jharkhand and Chattisgarh, whose population consists of 8 percent tribals, are also inadequately represented.

During the 2003 state elections, when Vasundhra Raje had conveniently promised ST status to the Gujjars, it actually did not pay heed to one truth: a state government cannot include or exclude on its own any caste from the SC and ST category. For inclusion, Gujjars will have to prove that they are economically backward, and have a culture which can be clearly distinguished from other communities.

After getting the proposal passed in the assembly, a state government has to refer the proposal to the Tribal Affairs Ministry. From there, it is forwarded to the Registrar General of Census Operations, and then to the Schedule Tribes Commission. If any of these authorities chose not to agree with the inclusion, the proposal remains a proposal. But now, if the Gujjars don’t get what they expect, it may lead to another mayhem. The caste in this country has become a dragon which everyone wants to ride. But it is forgotten that the dragon can also spew fire. This is one lesson which should be kept in mind. Arjun Singh or Vasundhra Raje, the fire does not spare anybody.