ISSUES OF CONCERN

its chief architect, which was supposed to
be the benefactor of the Dalits, has been
their bane. The constitutional schema
to preserve castes and religion and
adoption of the FPTP election systems
are the biggest hurdles in the path of
annihilation of castes. The entire schema
only produces and reproduces identity
politics and identity movements which
strengthen castes instead of weakening
them.
Can you give us some examples of initiatives
that have reduced the menace
of casteism?
I do not think I have any examples
to cite. However, it is my observation
that the radical movements that mobilize
all castes towards some goal dampen
the consciousness of castes. I may
cite Ambedkar’s own experiment during
1930s when he had launched the
agitation against Khoti (a system
of zamindari in Konkan region of
Maharashtra) mobilizing tenants of
all castes, Dalits and Kunabis, as an
example. His experiment during the
decade when he formed his first party,
the Independent Labour Party (ILP),
describing it as the party of working class
and he as the workers’ leader, had shown
promise. But later developments forced
him to return to the caste politics. It can
be verily seen that the Scheduled Caste
Federation that succeeded the ILP did not
get him much fruit.
Whenever caste identities are
dampened and the class unity is
emphasized, it automatically dampened
castes. Once caste is invoked, even
innocuously, it tends to split anything.
Caste is an identity unlike any; it
only tends to split like amoeba. The
inference is clear that the viable project
of annihilation of castes could only be
through the movement based on class
unity of people.
Dr B.R Ambedkar addressing a rally in Nasik, Maharashtra on 13 th October 1935 [40]
20 Issues Of CONCERN No. 7 February 2016