Sourav Das The framers of the Constitution, aware of the historical injustices of the caste system, included provisions in the form of reservations to ensure proportional representation in political institutions of Scheduled Castes (SCs) at various levels like the Lok Sabha, State legislatures, panchayats, and municipalities[1]. The aspirations of SCs for political representation had been…
Tag: dalits
The Changing Electoral Logic of Caste: The Case of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh
ARCHIT BHAT This article attempts to explore the various caste-based electoral strategies that aided the rise (and fall) of BSP in Uttar Pradesh (UP). It also seeks to understand whether the aforementioned strategies have led to a dilution of the party’s original goals. Lastly, it attempts to delineate a possible alternate vision for the future…
Digesting Caste: Caste on my Plate
The second of a two-part article, this piece explores how food based caste-discrimination manifests itself within the structure of official State food security policies.
Digesting Caste: Graded Inequality in Food Habits
Caste based discrimination assumes varying forms and shapes, with discrimination embedded into food and food habits being particularly worrisome. This article explores the historical and cultural context from which this issue arises.
Panchami Land: Where Social Justice Stays Buried
Tamil Nadu was first witness to land reforms in favour of dalits towards the end of 19th century when the British government came out with orders for Panchami Land. Thereafter, land reforms have been carried out in favour of Dalits in independent India as well. Despite these measures, why has this marginalised community continued to remain overwhelmingly landless? A product of over a month spent on field in Tamil Nadu, this piece by Mathur systematically untangles the foregoing question by comprehensively problemitising the situation of Panchami land.