Time and again we have stressed that “caste” among the non-Aryan Bahujans is different from the caste among the 15% Aryans divided into four varnas (Chaturvana) and then castes and subcastes.
The caste system or Chaturvarna resembles a pyramid broad at the bottom and narrow at the top signifying the ascending order of reverence and the descending degree of contempt. In other words caste system is what is today described as “Hinduism.”
But the caste or subcaste among the three sections of Bahujans [Scheduled Castes (20%), Scheduled Tribes (10%), and Backward Castes (35%)] signifies no such thing. Hence caste among Bahujans stands for our “ethnic identity.”
GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY RE-MADE
All this is based on the thoughts of Babasaheb. But a handful of Dalits are resisting these revolutionary thoughts because they have some vested interests. This hinduised elite Dalits, the newly formed cream, are suffering from an imaginary fear that they stand to lose if identity formation is strengthened.
To such of them our reply is “ethnic identity” is a worldwide phenomenon and the entire world is getting convulsed by this one sole single factor.
History is rewritten and geography is redrawn because the “ethnic identity” is rocking the world. Soviet Russia broke up on this one single issue. The two Germanys and the Koreas are coming together. So also the trouble in the former Yugoslovia. Atlas makers are redrawing the map of the world.
Here is a report relevant to India:
CASTE-BASTED TAMIL PARTIES
Madras: Yet another caste-based political party was born on Sept.21 when a sidelined former AIADMK minister announced his formal resignation from the party and the formation of Tamil Desam, an outfit for the backward Yadava community he belongs.
Kannappan, who was power minister in the previous Jayalalitha Govt., claimed support of a non-political Yadava organisation headed by former Indian Bank. chairman Gopalakrishnan.
Already there are two major Dalit organisations, the Puthiya Tamizhagam for the Pallars and the Dalit Panthers of India for the Untouchable Paraiahs.
The success of Pattali Makkal Katchi, an offshoot of the Vanniar Sangham speaking for the Backward Caste Vanniars which is dominant in northern TN with five MPs and two Ministers in the Union Govt. owes its growth to caste-based politics.
Another former AIADMK member of Parliament, A.C. Shanmugham, is expected to float a party for his Mudaliar community.
(Deccan Herald, Sept. 22, 2000).
Caste-based parties are India’s fastest growing political parties.
Our “national” political parties like the Congress, CPM and CPI, are dying fast because of this reason. Electoral politics, in which a caste with sizeable members can wield political power, is strengthening and promoting caste-based parties which will be the rule of tomorrow. That is why the Aryan upper caste parties are worried. Their current move to amend the Constitution is to kill caste-based parties coming up. But they will not succeed as long as India is wedded to parliamentary democracy.
“NATIONAL” PARTIES DYING
The people are fast losing confidence in “national” parties Even other regional outfits like Telugu Desam, Shiv Sena etc. will soon fade away yielding place to caste-based parties. This is because the people have come to believe that it is difficult for a caste leader to deceive his own caste people. They have found better democracy and sharing with in caste-based organisations.
That is how Brahmins trust only Brahmins. Vaidik Vajpayee is surrounded by only Brahmins. That is how the “Hamara Vajpayee” is heading the Brahmana Jati Party. In UP, to which Vaidik Vajpayee belongs, he is known as a Brahmin leader. Like him all our leaders are merely caste leaders. This is the fact of life.
If any section of population has progressed, its achievements are the result not of any political party but their respective caste pressure. Brahmins are the standing example to prove this point.
Every Brahmin subcaste has its own temple, mutt, a swami and a jati association. There are thousands of them in India. Despite all their strong subcaste identity, the Brahmins don’t quarrel. They are united. Earlier, they used to quarrel. But now that they have become the rulers, they have stopped fighting openly. We may criticise the Brahmins but we should not be blind to their great qualities.
UP CRISIS DUE TO IDENTITY
We can’t find a single Brahmin either in the Congress, CPM, JD or any other party in any part of India criticising Vajpayee in public. Every Brahmin heart bleeds for Vajpayee. Such is the strength and solidarity of the Brahmin “ethnic identity“. But the handful of critics of “ethnic identity” do not want to learn because to learn they have to first unlearn. And unlearning means for- going their acquired privileges. The Dalit elites are so much hinduised (enslaved), they have forgotten their Master, Babasaheb.
Even inside the BJP, “ethnic identity” is fully operating. The confusion and chaos in the UP BJP unit is also because of “ethnic identity“. Every powerful jati like the Brahmins, Thakurs, Banias, Kayasths maintain their separate identity.
DEATHLESS INSTITUTION
We are using the word caste because there is no other word to replace it. So, caste stands for our “ethnic identity” which is a deathless institution. Identity never dies.
Caste is the one and the only measuring rod in India. Hence our repeated plea that the current census operations must include particulars on caste and subcaste. The Aryans are opposing it because that will be disastrous to their interests. Caste, particularly in census, will disclose which jati has been cheated and which jati has swallowed all the cakes. Instead of getting weakened, caste is getting stronger-thanks to our parliamentary democracy.
PRIMARY BUILDING BRICK
Critics of caste may charge that we are glorifying a dead, primitive, hated institution. If it is dead, primitive and hated how did it survive all the beatings centuries after centuries? That means caste has a historic role and that role is the core of identity. And identity can never be killed or destroyed.
No set of people in any part of the world has allowed their identity to be destroyed. Destruction of identity means destruction of a people. To put the same argument upside down: if you want to destroy a people, destroy their identity first.
(Hindu nazis following Spanish Experiment: How to Exterminate Muslims in India?, DSA Third Reprint, 2000, Rs.5).
The current Hindu nazi bid to hinduise (enslave) the SC/ST/BCs and even Muslim/Christian/Sikhs is a century-long bid to destroy the “ethnic identity” of the different nationalities.
Caste is the primary building brick of the Indian society. Those ridiculing caste are the very people who have already fully strengthened their caste. They are attacking our caste after going to the top climbing their caste ladder.
The enemies of caste are not prepared to annihilate their castes. Babasaheb Ambedkar was not permitted to deliver his speech by the upper castes on Annihilation of Caste which he later published as a book. And these humbugs are now asking us to annihilate our castes. Babasaheb’s above book was not intended to our people. It is directed at the Hindus who alone have the caste.
We can expect no fresh look at caste from our bogus social scientists or anthropologists because they are all caste-conscious upper castes hating our people. Hence we have to do it ourselves. And that is why as the country’s premier Dalit journal, “The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights“, we have launched this campaign for “ethnic identity”.
ROLE OF D.V.
Because we know it is only through our “caste identity” thesis we can defeat the Hindu identity. Because we know “Hindu unity” will destroy India’s unity.
So, future belongs to caste-based parties which alone shall kill the Aryan-inspired “national” parties. Because India is not a “nation”. It is a group of warring “nations”. And this war and violence can be stopped only by caste-based parties by sharing posts and power in proportion to the population of each jati. Peace and prosperity will be unattainable until we learn to share. And sharing is not possible unless each basic unit (jati) is strong and conscious of its “ethnic identity.
