Form of words:
In April 1991, the new York Times Rana Story About mid-term elections in India with the title – “Will this change for India, secularism or right wing?The main players at that time were the Congress party led by Rajiv Gandhi, the Janata Dal led by VP Singh and the Bharatiya Janata Party led by Atal-Advani. The article remarked that for the first time in India’s electoral history, elections were as much about ideas as it was about personalities and parties. This was the old Congress order that was set up against the Janata Dal’s lower class social revolution initiated by the Mandal Commission, which, in turn, stood against the BJP/RSS idea of Hindutva. This battle of ideas demolished the old Congress system and pitted various Mandal forces against Hindutva.
The rise of Narendra Modi has been termed by many as the inclusion of “mandals” within the broader umbrella of Hindutva. However, the demand from the grassroots for a caste census to count the inequalities in our politics and economy, and the apparent ambivalence of the ruling BJP underscore the fact that Mandal (or the Queen’s social justice for those aspiring to English) Indeed – to emerge as the pre-eminent ideological fault line that will determine the future of India’s politics.
Read also: The upper caste network of political parties is opposing the caste census. but not for long
This circle ‘revolution’ is different
However, this time also things are a little different. As someone who witnessed the first circle “revolution” in the 1990s, I’d like to point out that Pitch Report is actually different for two reasons.
Firstly, the deepening of the idea of social justice both geographically and socially has accelerated significantly due to the advent of social media. Compared to the 1990s, almost all sections of OBCs, Adivasis and Dalits are now asserting their presence and demanding more vigorously socio-political representation commensurate with their proportion in the population. More importantly, states such as West Bengal, Odisha and Punjab, which were previously untouched by the dynamics of Mandal politics, are now undergoing deep social churning. It is no surprise that Naveen Patnaik, whose father the late Biju Patnaik had strongly opposed the Mandal Commission (due to which I had serious disagreements with him within the then Janata Dal) was now forced to adopt the idea of a caste census. has been done.
Second, there has been an increased general acceptance of a market-based economy to drive economic prosperity, but it has also been combined with a hatred of corporate monopolies that undermine fair competition. In the 1990s, we had just begun market reforms, and the reliance on the public sector and large corporates for jobs was still very strong. Today, the prospects of a market economy have excited the minds of young and old alike. However, for every new unicorn announced in the news, murmurs of widespread discontent can also be heard among our unemployed youth, who lack access to the capital, knowledge and networks to convert them into job-seekers rather than job-seekers. feel disappointed. Questions must be raised on the inclusivity of our key decision-making bodies of the private sector such as corporate boards, banks and industry associations, which will be best addressed after the caste census is completed. An even more important debate is emerging about the role of government in our economy – whether government should be more market-friendly, enabling fair competition and eliminating market failures (such as MSP for farmers). providing or investing in science and technology. The private sector would not otherwise), or more business-friendly, which favors some businesses over others and leads to monopolies.
Picture the following: An idea-based election in 2024 that pits two competing visions of India – a centre-left coalition advocating a social revolution to break down caste barriers paired with a more market-friendly government What really empowers new entrepreneurs from all over. Enables fair competition against sections of society and a right-wing party with a vision of a more open Hindu, less secular India and a more business-friendly government that favors a few business houses and encourages monopolies.’ Individuals and teams may come in second place like they did in the summer of 1991.
As Victor Hugo said, “No force on earth can stop a thought whose time has come”. The combo-pack of Mandal Plus Market is definitely one that is going to make landfall soon.
Shrikant Jena is a former MP and Union Minister who served in the governments of VP Singh, HD Deve Gowda, IK Gujral and Dr Manmohan Singh. He tweeted @srikantjena3. Thoughts are personal.
(edited by Prashant)
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