A group of Dalit and Adivasi organisations has called a nationwide strike on Wednesday to protest against the Supreme Court’s recent judgment permitting the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR), according to PTI, has released a list of demands, one of which is that the government reject the judgment. The verdict, according to the outfit, threatens the constitutional rights of SCs and STs. The organisation has called on the government to enact a new law on reservation for SCs, STs, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) that will be protected by its inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. Central and state laws included in the Ninth Schedule cannot be challenged in the courts. In context: While the August 2 judgment of the seven-judge Constitution Bench of the court opens up the path for the most backward groups among Dalits to receive more benefits from the reservation policy, some Bahujan leaders and activists fear that it may hurt the attempts to forge a united Dalit movement. “Splitting of the SC/ST reservation quotas will only benefit vested interests seeking leverage in the fragmentation of these groups,” Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) secretary-general and former civil servant Abdul Khaliq wrote in an article published on August 10. “It will shatter whatever solidarity exists among the SCs. The Supreme Court has, in effect, decreed that the long-suffering victims of the caste system should themselves be compartmentalised into different subsets, creating another hierarchy and caste system. This will drive a wedge between the different sub-groups.” Then there are those like Adi Dharma Samaj chief Darshan Ratna Raavan who argue that sub-quotas will not affect Dalit unity. “Mahadalit Valmiki, Mazhabi Samaj, Musahars, Madigas, Chakkiliyans, or Arunthathiyars are communities which could not avail the benefits of SC reservation. There are historical reasons why one community is in a position to avail this reservation and others are not,” Raavan wrote. He added, “Mahadalits are not creating a rift among Dalit. That has never been the intention. The appeal is to all ‘Dalit upper castes’ to think calmly and understand that the day the Mahadalits make economic, social, educational and political progress, the power of the entire Dalit society will increase.” Asked if his party would support the Bharat Bandh, Khaliq’s boss and LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan told reporters in Patna on Tuesday, “My party understands the sentiment behind and is in support of the Bharat Bandh … We have always been opposed to creamy layer concept in Scheduled Castes, who have not been just victims of economic and educational backwardness but also untouchability.” While the Congress, which has called the court verdict a “big setback” for SCs and STs, has not announced explicit support for the Bandh, PTI reports that in Jharkhand its state unit and allies Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the Left have decided to back the strike. Jharkhand, which has a big Adivasi population, goes to polls in a few months. The CPI(M), the biggest Left party, has supported the judgment but reiterated its opposition to the introduction of a creamy layer within the SC and ST quota, as suggested in the verdict. Recommended reading: • Supreme Court verdict on sub-classification of SCs, STs is blinkered to historical discrimination of Dalits • ‘No question of creamy layer’: PM Modi assures BJP SC/ST MPs Why BJP will be concerned For the BJP, with its politics centred around an idea of nationalism that is anchored to the unifying vision provided by Hindutva, questions of caste and reservation are proving quite a challenge. The party is keenly aware of the erosion in its SC-ST votes during the Lok Sabha elections and is looking for an effective counter to the Opposition, which first put the BJP in an uncomfortable position over the demand for a nationwide caste census and then successfully ran the campaign during the parliamentary polls about how the party would pose a threat to the Constitution if it returned with a brute majority. For the BJP, failure to find the language and strategy for parrying the Opposition may put at risk the gains it has made among Dalits and OBCs for over a decade. After the sub-classification verdict — the BJP has not clarified its stand on the matter since the ruling — the party’s Dalit MPs met Modi to convey their apprehension. The PM was quick to assure them that no steps would be taken on the court’s observations calling for a creamy layer exclusion. Then came the pushback from two key allies and the Opposition over the UPSC advertisement for 45 jobs in the bureaucracy through lateral entry, forcing the government to make a quick about-turn on Tuesday. Explaining the government's climbdown, Vikas Pathak writes, “The BJP fears any further dent in its SC/ST and OBC vote bank, having nurtured it assiduously to shed the image of being a North Indian party of primarily ‘upper castes’. The coming Assembly elections offer the first risk of that happening.” How the BJP responds to this challenge is the big question right now in Indian politics. It will be closely tracked not just on Wednesday but also in the next few months as four crucial Assembly elections are held. Also happening today Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will arrive in Jammu and Kashmir on a two-day visit to finalise the pre-Assembly election alliance with the National Conference (NC), reports Arun Sharma. On Wednesday, the two will meet local party leaders in Jammu to discuss seat sharing. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm.
