The word ‘Dalit’ has come to collectively identify members of the many ‘Scheduled Castes’ that exist in India. It means ‘oppressed’, deriving from Sanskrit origins, and has taken the place of ‘Harijan’, the term coined by Mahatma Gandhi. Harijan was a positive term by which he had hoped to change the attitude of other castes towards them so that there could be greater integration and abolition of untouchability in its many forms. The word that is more technically correct and reflects the actual diversity and numbers of such people is used in the Constitution – ‘Scheduled Castes’. There has been a long process by which these castes have been identified, and politics inevitably became a part of the process, as there were many benefits to be gained. A person could be member of a ‘scheduled caste’ in one state and not be recognised as such in another.
However, the term ‘Dalit’ implies a constantly negative state. What happens to their identity if they are no longer ‘oppressed’? Will the word disappear? Since politics has developed ‘Dalit’ leaders, who project themselves as the representatives of not just the caste or region they belong to, but of all the Scheduled Castes in India, a vested interest has been created requiring the sense of victimhood to continue. (Of late, this has been exported to the US.) So, instead of the original concept of being revered by others as ‘Harijans’, the new politics requires them to be the militant ‘other’. The conversion politics indulged in by Dr BR Ambedkar, however well-meaning, also opened the doors to an unhealthy interest among evangelists of various kinds to exploit the fractures.
There is nothing wrong with solidarity among disadvantaged sections of society, or an aggressive politics on the back of it, but there has to be a point where the objective of ultimate reconciliation needs to be pursued. Every ‘special measure’ taken by the Indian State under the Constitution had an expiry date to ensure that the fundamentals of democracy do not become distorted. However, the failure of reservations as a policy, and the creation of self-serving creamy layers, has ensured that what was a temporary measure has become a privilege that is sought not only to be expanded, but also made a permanent feature. It is no wonder that such politics has not only created resentment, led to the creation of another caste-based bloc – the ‘OBCs’ – but also failed in achieving its declared purpose – social justice.
Even common sense corrections in the SC/ST Act enforced over time by the Supreme Court are being opposed by the new vested interests. Certainly, no politician has the gumption to stand up for what’s right. It is no surprise, then, that whatever actually needs to be done to create a society based on the fundamental principles of the Constitution remains unaddressed.
