Dalit & Scheduled Castes: Terminology & History

Changes in Terminology

• In the late 1880s, Jyotirao Phule used the Marathi word "Dalit" to refer to outcasts and untouchables who opposed Hindu society
• "Depressed Classes" was first used in the census of 1921
• "Scheduled Castes" was first mentioned in the Government of India Act of 1935
• Mahatma Gandhi coined the word "Harijan," which means "Children of God"

Colonial Period: Depressed Classes

• Before Independence, the British identified Untouchables as a social category
• In the 1931 census, depressed classes were defined by ritual impurity, lacking access to wells, schools, and temples
• The Depressed Classes were renamed Scheduled Castes in the Government of India Act of 1935

B.R. Ambedkar's Role

• Ambedkar pressured the British to establish quotas for the Untouchables in the administration
• In 1934, the government allocated 25% of administrative vacancies to Muslims and 8.3% to other minorities, including Untouchables, who constituted 12.5% of the population

Political Representation for Dalits: Separate Electorate vs Reserved Seats

• Ambedkar wanted to improve political representation for Dalits
• Ambedkar requested a separate electorate for Dalits
• Gandhi objected to a separate electorate, arguing it would divide Hindu society
• The Poona Pact was established as a compromise
• The Pact created a system of reserved seats, granting 148 seats to Untouchables in provincial assemblies
• The Pact eliminated the concept of separate electorates demanded by Ambedkar

The Constitution's Perspective

• Article 17 abolishes untouchability and prohibits its practice in any form
• Untouchability is not defined in the Constitution

Principle of Proportionality in the Indian Constitution

• Reservations for Dalits and Adivasis in education and assemblies must be proportional to their societal percentage
• The census informs the government about the number of each category to decide proportionality
• The number of Scheduled Castes has increased; however, the proportion of Dalits has remained consistent

Why Has the Number of Scheduled Castes Increased?

• New religious groups have become eligible with recognition of their low caste categories as Scheduled Castes
• Example: Sikh Dalits were admitted in 1956, and Buddhists were admitted in 1990

Two Political Systems

• One system involves first choosing 4 candidates from depressed classes by people from the depressed classes, followed by an election
• Another system involves reserving certain seats for depressed classes by the Delimitation Commission

The Different Political Systems

• Ambedkar wanted to keep the system that allowed local Dalits to select 4 candidates in any reserved constituency, who would then run in elections
• Congress leaders wanted to abolish the system
• Ambedkar felt that MPs or MLAs in reserved seats should require at least 35 percent of Dalit votes, in addition to the largest vote share to be elected
• Congress ignored this
• The system that emerged meant Dalit MPs and MLAs could be elected on a reserved seat without being specifically accountable to members of their own community

What Remains Unchanged

• Several laws have remained unimplemented
• The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act of 1993 aimed to eliminate manual scavenging of human excreta, but is not implemented in many places

Positive Affirmation Actions

• The Untouchability (Offences) Act was passed in 1955, it reasserted that Untouchables could not be prevented from entering public places and should be respected
• The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act) was passed in 1989, it introduced provisions to protect Dalits and Adivasis from physical and verbal abuse and violence

Atrocities Against the Dalits

• Despite the 1989 law, atrocities continued
• In 1968, 42 Dalit agricultural laborers were locked in a hut and burned alive by upper-caste local dominant castes in Kilvenmani, Tamil Nadu
• In September 2006, upper-caste people killed four members of a Dalit family in Khairlanji, Maharastra for resisting land expropriation

Why Do Atrocities Against Dalits Take Place?

• Police often decline to register Dalit complaints, and upper castes discourage witnesses from testifying
• Many Dalits remain poor and live in villages where the benefits of reservation in education are limited

B.R. Ambedkar's Experiments

• Ambedkar pursued two strategies: building a political party representing the working class or focusing on Dalits alone
• He established the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in 1936 to represent workers and peasants
• ILP did not succeed in attracting support beyond the Dalit community

Ambedkar and Republican Party of India

• ILP was replaced by the Scheduled Castes Federation (SCF) which promoted the cause of Dalits
• The approach also failed, leading to the Republican Party of India (RPI), which combined aspects of SCF and ILP
• It was open to other religious minorities, lower castes, and tribes

Republican Party of India

• The Republican Party of India gained importance in Northern India in the 1960s
• An alliance between Dalits and Muslims altered the logic of Ambedkar's project, from one of coalition of lower castes to religious minorities

The Rise of Bahujan Samaj Party

• Founder of BSP, Kanshi Ram was from a Chamar family in Punjab who had benefited from British policies

Challenges: The Creamy Layer

• Wealthier Dalits benefit most from quotas due to positive discrimination policies like reservation
• The Supreme Court has suggested excluding the creamy layer of Dalits from quotas