"Phrases like ‘identity politics’ ‘caste politics’ and ‘communal politics’ are routinely used to denigrate any effort at acknowledging disadvantaged or marginal communities… Yet the unabashed strategy to consolidate and empower the upper caste Hindu vote bank is not only exempted from such criticism, it is often spoken of as a transcendence from such fractured politics. Dibyesh Anand explores the sinister double standard..."
"The Narendra Modi-led regime promises sweeping changes in a host of areas, but one aspect in which it seems to have bowed to tradition is the caste composition of the council of ministers. Various upper castes, like Brahmins, Rajputs, Kayasthas and Vaishyas in the north or socially dominant communities that are for all practical purposes 'forward' like Lingayats, Vokkaligas and Marathas, account for 20 of the 46 ministerial berths. OBCs have 13 representatives, tribals six and dalits three..."
"Why is the support of upper castes for the BJP secular, but that of Muslims for any party communal?... it isn't just the Muslims who are subjected to vacuous media representations. You hear of Dalit consolidation, OBC consolidation , and, occasionally, even Jat consolidation. But you never read about upper caste consolidation, presumably because their wisdom is nonpareil, inevitably inclining them to choose the nation over their selfserving group interests. In this narrative, only upper castes make rational voting decisions...
