By K Raveendran The squabble between Rahul Gandhi and Union minister Kiren Rijiju over the lack of representation of backward classes and tribals in beauty pageants has accorded a bit of glamour to the debate surrounding castes. Rahul’s remark, might seem trivial at first glance, but on closer scrutiny, it turns out to be a calculated move by the Congress party to bring the issue back to the forefront of national politics. No wonder, Kiren Rijiju, the leading Rahul-baiter in the Modi cabinet, has joined issue with the Leader of Opposition.
Caste politics, particularly through the lens of quotas and reservations, is not a new strategy for political parties. The Mandal Commission in the nineties was a watershed moment in Indian politics, fundamentally altering the socio-political landscape of the country. The parties have historically leveraged caste as a tool for political mobilization, and it appears that they are now seeking to reinvigorate this strategy.
The BJP has traditionally used caste to divide while the Congress wants to use it to unite: the difference is only one of approach. The timing of this renewed focus on caste is significant. The Supreme Court’s creamy layer judgment, which seeks to exclude the more affluent members of the backward classes from reservation benefits, has reignited the debate on caste-based quotas.
This judgment has provided fresh impetus for discussions around caste and has given political parties an opportunity to re-engage with a topic t.