Shifting Sands of Time

The sub-categorisation debate has taken an interesting turn after the Bharat Bandh, with different political parties and factions adopting varied stances

- K. Kalyani, Mukesh Kabir

AFTER the Supreme Court judgment on subcategorisation, debates and discussions around the feasibility of sub-classification within the SC-ST communities have gained momentum. While there is consensus on sub-categorisation among certain sub-caste groups—like the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS), led by Manda Krishna Madiga; the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), led by Jitan Ram Manjhi; Adi Dharma Samaj, led by Darshan Ratna Raavan and others—it is also worth noting that there has parallelly emerged a strong opposition to the judgment that is gaining support from different political parties. It would be interesting to evaluate the different political positions that have emerged after the sub-categorisation judgment and how the debates on the political canvas are changing, especially after the August 21 Bharat Bandh protests.

Bharat Bandh Aftereffects

The Bharat Bandh was supported by political parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Azad Samaj Party, the Lok Janshakti Party (R), the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Bharat Adivasi Party, and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party. Later, during the Bandh, it also received support from the Samajwadi Party. The Bandh was also pushed forward by different sub-caste group alliances across different states. Though the nationwide

after the August 21 Bharat Bandh protests.

Bharat Bandh Aftereffects