The Mandal Commission report was projected as the path to providing social justice to the ‘Other Backward Castes’, like that enjoyed by the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Unfortunately, the meaning of social justice in India has become limited to reservations in jobs and educational institutions. Those pursuing the cause at the present cannot look beyond extending the scope of the reservations past the fifty percent cap laid down by the Supreme Court. In the minds of these ‘reformers’, the ‘backwardness’ is not the result of circumstances that can be changed, but an inherent shortcoming that even the constitutional privileges cannot affect.
This is why RJD leader and former Chief Minister Lalu Yadav’s family identifies as ‘backward’ despite having enjoyed political power in Bihar for two generations. The same is the case with Mulayam Singh Yadav’s family in Uttar Pradesh. They may claim that they symbolically represent the backwards castes, and it has not just to do with their own fortunes, but this is not reflected in either power sharing or genuine improvement in conditions on the ground. The claim to being proponents of ‘distributive justice’ is furthered by supposed adherence to the socialism propagated by Ram Manohar Lohia.
So, it may well be asked that, in a democracy, how does it matter what kind of ideology is promoted so long as it brings in the votes? The problem is there is no guarantee that winning elections ensures good governance and effective economic policies. The people are expected to judge from past performance, but in a situation where caste and community considerations override everything else, it does not work. It may be said that it is still a legitimate choice – if people wish to live in poverty and deprivation, who are others to choose for them?
The problem is that such choices cannot be made in isolation. Bihar was the best run state in the country at the time of Independence – today decades of mismanagement have taken it to the bottom of the table. This has resulted in pulling down the development parameters of the entire nation. As such, everybody has a stake in what happens in Bihar. With matters being as bad as they are, even greater patience and foresight are needed to make things better. One needs only to see how the political choice made by the people of the United States of America has impacted the entire world. Can India afford such a mistake in Bihar?
