Our Marxists friends have often repeated the cliche that “class struggle” will lead 10 revolutions. We have replied to them in our two previous monographs. “How Marx Failed in Hindu India” (1979) and Class Caste Struggle – Emerging third force” (1981). Therefore, we do not wish to go into that question here. However, under Indian conditions, broadly speaking it is the “caste” that has become a “class”.
That is why “caste struggle” is more or less synonymous with “class struggle”. However we are not minimising the importance of class struggle. But in India it is mainly through “caste struggle” it is possible to have a class struggle. It is the caste struggle that will have to graduate into class struggle No doubt, the ultimate aim should be that India must have a class struggle. But this will become possible only when the poor people belonging to higher castes join hands with the poor of the low castes. For this caste barrier has to be broken.
Almost 95% of the poor Hindus belong to the low caste, and the untouchables are almost 100% poor. Brahmins and other high castes are invariably the property holders. Caste division in villages is in fact class division – (EPW – 1979 annual issue page-317). The reservations have no doubt helped some untouchables to go up the ladder of elite and numerous studies have been made by sociologists about the “Harijan elite”. This elite class is keeping itself away from the less fortunate, uneducated untouchables. But this elite class is not a special feature of untouchables alone. Every caste including the Brahmins has its own elite. And this elite class in every caste maintains aloofness from the rest. This is true of the Muslims and Christians also. Sikhs too are divided on “class” lines.
Since the untouchables are almost 100% poor and almost 100% illiterate, the formation of such an elite class becomes strikingly visible and, therefore, has become a great eye-sore to the Hindus. The mass conversion of untouchables to Islam in Tamil Nadu was mainly due to the fact that the Hindus could not tolerate their prosperity. Once a servile class, living on the outskirts of every village, the untouchables coming to occupy houses next to that of a high caste and working in the same office and in the same position, travelling in the same bus and eating in the same hotel-all this will naturally lead to serious heart-burning. Caste system means gradation. Ascending order of reverence and descending order of contempt. Reservations have sought to shake a stagnant society in which there is no scope for equality. Hinduism cannot tolerate democracy, equality, socialism and secularism. When reservations seek to assure, however half-heartedly, a brighter future for the untouchables, it immediately comes into conflict with the Hindu ethos. Therefore what we witnessed in Gujarat can be described as a fight between socialism and Hinduism in which socialism temporarily vanquished and Hinduism triumphed and ultimately the whole thing ended up in a draw. There is a silence of graveyard prevailing over Gujarat now. And this calm before the storm may end any moment and a fresh but a bloodier caste war may break out any moment. If caste has to graduate into class, this should be welcomed the reservations, however poorly implemented, has helped about 20 lakhs of scheduled castes to become Government servants out of a total SC population of about 30% of the country’s population. Is it not something that we should be proud of? Is it not a happy sign? No doubt, this “Harijan elite” class is itself getting estranged from the rest of the exploited sections of untouchables. Sanskritization and Westernisation is sucking this “elite class”‘ more and more into the orbit of other exploiting classes. That is why, the jealous Hindu society has started calling the SCs as “Government Brahmins”. That this 20 lakhs of Government servants have not spared a thought for their less-fortunate, illiterate, poor untouchables subjected to atrocities every day in the country-side, amply proves that this “elite class” is joining hands with the other exploiting classes in the Hindu upper castes. That means a “class”‘ is being formed out of a “caste”. This “class” among the SCs may not come up to the level of life of other high caste Hindus but they are sure to swell the rank of other exploiting classes. This is a new development of far-reaching significance in the Indian social set-up: “Caste” is gradually breaking and out of its debris “class” is taking shape. Is this not a welcome development? From this, it is clear that the “caste war” raging in different parts of the country has helped formation of a “class” which is indeed the need of the hour. Because, in India we have had no “class” in the strict Marxian term. Every “caste” including the Brahmins has its own poor. Caste cuts across class and vice versa. What we ultimately want is a “class struggle”. But how can class struggle come about in India when there are no “‘classes”? Class struggle cannot come about without first destroying castes. And caste will get destroyed only in the caste war. This is a lesson which our Marxists can ill-afford to ignore. Kerala’s communal politics is the standing example of castes graduating into a “class”. All the “forward” communities there have joined hands and merged into a “class”. According to one report the “poverty line” among “forward ” communities particularly the Nairs has moved up. They have formed a political party (N.D.P) to fight for their rights, linking up their struggle with the Christians. The backward toddy-tapper community, Ezhavas, are the single largest caste group of Kerala. But it is this group which is out to break the Nair and Brahmin monopoly in land and services. Land reforms did break the backbone of Brahmins and Nairs With this began the impoverishment of Nairs who joined hands with Brahmins and Christians. The Ezhavas in turn linked up their struggle with Muslims, a persecuted minority. It is unfortunate that a minority community like the Christians has joined hands with the Brahmins and Nairs. Rich Christians are said to be joining RSS. This is because the Christians economic interest has to be protected. And hence the gang-up of all exploiters against the exploited. Beautiful polarisation. Socialism means poor must come up and when they come up the rich naturally will have to be levelled down. This is inevitable. This is what we mean by “caste” graduating into “class”.
The link-up of the political struggle of “exploiters”-Nairs, Brahmins and Christians-in Kerala is a new development holding an important lesson to the rest of India. Kerala is perhaps the most politically conscious State with the highest percentage of literacy in India. Therefore, the current experiment in Kerala of caste graduating into a class will be repeated in the rest of India also as caste and class consciousness develops and caste struggle gets accelerated. This is bound to happen even if the CPM refuses to read the writing on the wall. No doubt a high caste Nair, Nayanar, is the Chief Minister of Kerala. It is the poverty of thinking among Indian Marxists that they are not able to groom low castes to shoulder party responsibilities The West Bengal Ministry headed by a high caste Hindu (Kayastha) and dominated by Brahmins with not even a single untouchable or tribe given a cabinet rank, is the standing example of the high caste prejudices still dominating the Indian Left movement.
But despite all these hurdles, the low castes are slowly gravitating to the Left movement. In Kerala, the very backbone of the Left movement is backward Ezhavas. The growth of the Left movement in Kerala is essentially the outcome of the caste and communal conflict in Kerala. The Left movement still dominated by the high castes do not want to accelerate the “caste struggle” in Kerala for fear of annihilating the continued high caste domination of left politics. Kerala’s Nettur Commission report on backward class is being repeatedly shelved solely because of this reason. The untouchables of Kerala disenchanted with the Left movement are already reported to be flocking to the RSS camp. And if the Marxist leadership continues to ignore the Nettur Commission report, it might drive the powerful Ezhavas also into the waiting RSS wings. That will be a tragedy for which EMS Namboodiripad will be solely held responsible. However, the unique Kerala experiment should open the eyes of the Indian Left movement to the realities of the situation and the CPM must accept “caste struggles” as part of the class struggle, by implementing its Howrah party plenum resolution. Or else they will be driving more and more low castes out of it as it happened with CPI in Biharshariff communal riots. All over India, higher castes are gradually coming together and forming into a” “class”. Take the case of the south, Mudaliars, Vallallas, Chettiars and Naidus (Tamil Nadu), Nairs (Kerala), Lingayats, Vokaligas and Bunts (Karnataka), Reddys and Kammas (Andhara Pradesh)-all these land-owning dominant castes were once in the forefront of the anti-Brahmin movement. Justice Party comprised all these powerful feudal lords. With the help of the British, they secured reservations and thereby able to completely dislodge the Brahmins from the political power and to some extent in the administrative power. After having taken over the place of Brahmins, they started playing the very same game for which they once criticized Brahmins. Nay They outdid the Brahmins. They started oppressing the backward classes (OBCs) and more so untouchables In oppressing the castes lower below them, the landed gentry excelled the Brahmins. Kay. They joined hands with Brahmins. They surpassed the Brahmins in oppressing the low castes Then came the turn of the backward classes and with the help of Periyar E V Ramaswamy, the backward classes mobilised and captured political power. After enjoying power these people also followed the illustrious foot-steps of higher castes and got Brahminised. In no way, they were more kind to the untouchables. The Meenakshipuram exodus of untouchables to the fold of Islam is mainly because of the unbearable atrocities at the hands of a very backward class (OBC) section called the Thevars. These Thevars are now closely cooperating with Brahmins and other higher castes. The Railway Oppressed Employees Union is mainly an organisation of backward classes and it is they who went in writ against reservations in promotion to SCs. No doubt Justice Krishna lyer dismissed the writ and upheld the reservation in promotions to SCs but the historic legal battle points out one significant development, namely ‘castes’ are gradually turning into “class”. In other words ‘caste struggle’ will help promotion of ‘class’ and such a transformation will help liquidation of ‘castes’ and help formation of ‘class’ -bringing the country to the decisive stage of class struggle. But let it be remembered that destruction of castes is the pre-requisite for class struggle. The point that we are driving at is how caste struggle is getting graduated into class struggle. We feel this is a happy sign and it must be encouraged, by all those interested in revolution. Let it be remembered that Hindu India will never have revolution without first destroying the caste.
