Is economic progress caste neutral?

Caste as an institution has profound influence in shaping social life including marriage, occupation, faith and religious beliefs.

- Sarit Kumar Rout

This is deeply intertwined in the Hindu text Manusmriti. BR Ambedkar, the Indian philosopher and the constitution maker, denounced the fourfold caste order and the division of labour based upon it, which is pernicious. Selecting individuals not based on trained original capacities but according to the social status of the parents is outrageous and limits labour mobility. In 1950, the Constitution through an order (The Constitution of India Scheduled Caste order 1950) confers the President to declare a specific caste, community and race as Scheduled Caste or Tribe in consultation with the states. This marked the beginning of affirmative action through reservation for these social groups in education institutions, government jobs and targeted social interventions. This idea was admirable for transforming the social status of these vulnerable caste groups. This however, changed latter and caste politics became dominant in the electoral system of the country. Political parties of different hues keep the caste system booming to reap electoral benefits neglecting actual political and economic transformation. The recent Bihar election campaign isa testimony to this.