Rising Kulaks and Backward Classes in Bihar
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Economic and Political Weekly 15, 2 (12 January 1980), 64-74. SPECIALARTICLES Rising Kulaks and Backward Classes in Bihar Social Change in the Late 1970s Harry W Blair The Janata period in Bihar has been plagued with instability and violence in the state's political life, its universities and its bureauicracy. In the minds of many observers, the disruption and its imme- diate cause, the Karpoori Thakur ministry's reservation policy, are indicative of a sea-change in the struc- ture of Bihar's political economy: the 'Forwards' or 'twice-born' caste groups that had been dominant in Bihar since independence and before are being replaced by the 'Backward' castes as the dominant stra- tum in the state. This essay examines the evidence of such a shift in the structure of dominance in Bihar and its im- plication for the political economy of the state. THE current scene in Bihar is a de- posts, those known as being 'Annexure Kayasthas), were still far ahead of the pressing one. College students are II' would be allocated 8 per cent, 3 remaining communities. The Banias, burning buses, sacking government per cent would go to women of any of course, were traditionally traders offices, seizing locomotives and even group, and 3 per cent to those who and small businessmen, while the derailing trains; other groups of stu- were 'economically backward'. other three were largely peasant pro- dents do combat with the disrupters. The history of the annexures is a prietor castes, small-holders in the 5-15 The bureaucracy is paralysed. Stories of tangled one, and the question of how acre range and primarily ryots in the Harijan atrocities get into the press many people they include is even more zamindari land tenure system- then more frequently than usual, and give confusing. The story goes at least as prevailing in Bihar. Just how many the impression that many more such far back as to 1951, when the Bihar people might be included within these outrages are going unreported. Politi- government composed two lists of groups was not at all clear, for the cal life is beset with intense byzantine Backward Classes Comprising Hindu Census has not gathered data on caste intrigpes and manoeuvres to oust (or and Muslim caste groups that were not since 1941 and has not published these to save) the Janata ministry, com- Harijans or Adivasis, but were none- data since the 1931 Census. pletely distracting the ministry's al- theless determined to be economically As with so many things in India, ready severely limited political will and socially backward and in need of though, there are exceptions. In addi- for dealing with the problems of a special governmental assistance, parti- tion to the data on Scheduled Castes state that is at the bottom of almost cularly in the way of educational help. and Tribes that have been gathered in every index of social and economic The two lists came to be known as all the reoent censuses, the Census of development in India. There have been 'Annexure I' and 'Annexure II', which 1951 also took down some infonMa- reports of "more than 2,000 political could be thought of as 'more back- tion on membership in certain of the murders" in recent months.' ward' and 'less backward' (but still backward castes. The Backward Classes in need of help) groups. Annexure I Commission (BCC), set up at the DEFINING THE BACKWARDS (the 'more backward') included some Central level and chaired by Kaka At the eye of the storm has been 78 Hindu and Muslim castes, some Kalelkar, made use of these data in the one object that Karpoori Thakur well-known (e g, Dhanuk, Hajjam, composing its own lists of backward in his chief ministership showed him- Kahar and Mallah), others consider- classes for the various states in its self determined to pursue - his ably less so (eg, Gulguha, Jadupatia). report published in 1955. For Bihar reservation policy. Thakur's successor The second ('less backward') Annexure some 127 castes (again both Hindu as chief minister, Ram Sunder Das, included 30 castes altogether; many of and Muslim) are listec,, with a tbtal has also promised (if more than some- them were communities that in terms population of 15.3 million or 38.1 per what half-heartedly) to implement the of social and economic backwardness cent of the state's total population in policy, so it continues to remain at were difficult to distinguish from 1951.4 The 1955 enumeration was not the centre of the stage in the politics those in Annexure I, such as Barhis, a complete one, however, for such im- of Bihar.2 Promised in 1977 and Kandus and Kumhars (as well as some portant castes as Koiri, Mallah and finally promulgated in the autumn of Muslim castes like Momins and Tatwa were included in the listing as 1978, the reservation policy asserted Rayeens), but the list consisted pri- Backward, but had not been counted that in addition to the quotas on gov- marily of the more advanced com- in the 1951 Census. Overall, figures ernment employment already reserved munities in the Vaishya and Shudra were available for only 54 of the 127 for Harijans and Adivasis (24 per cent varnas, that is the Banias, Koiris, castes denominated as Backward in if taken together), henceforth 26 per Kurmis and Yadavs.3 These groups, the BCC report, and so its 15.3 million cent of new government positions while not as powerful (certainly in total was considerably short of the would be reserved for the 'Backward 1951, anyway) in social, political or total number that fell within the Classes'. More precisely, those Back- economic matters as the first four Backward category as determined in wards known as being 'Annexure I' 'twice-born' tbaste groups in the state either the 1951 Government of Bihar would be allotted 12 per cent of the (the Brajmas, Bhumihars, Rajputs and list or the 1955 BCC report. 64 ECONO.MICAND POLITICAL WEEKLY January 12, 1980 TABLE 1 MAJOR CASTE AND ETHNIC GROUPS OF BIHAR to their political persuasion, Biharis tend to think of all Muslims as being Category Caste/Group Per Cent of Total "backward" or "not backward". Third, Population it is relatively easy to keep track of A* B* Muslims as a single group in the analy- sis that follows, but it would be quite add portions of them to Forwards, or Brahman difficult to 4.7 4.6 as 'tWvice-born' Bhumihar 2.9 2.8 the Forward and Backward groups Raiput 4.2 4.1 the analysis moves along. Kayastha 1.2 1.2 Subtracting Muslims, then, we are Total Forwards 13.0 12.7 left with 0.6 per cent Banias and 18.7 UpperBackwards Bania 0.6 0.6 per cent 'Upper Shudras' (that is~ the Yadav 11.0 10.7 three advanced but still officially Kurmi 3.6 3.5 Backward Shudra comlmunities) or a Koiri 4 .1 4.0 total of 19.3 per cent that we may call (Total Upper Backwards) (19.3) (18.8) 'Upper Backwards'. Among the re- Lower Backwards Barhi r 1.0 maining Shudra caste groups are the Dhanuk 1 1.8 ten that had more than one per cent Hajjam 1.4 of total population in 1931, accounting Kahar 1 .7 Kandu 16.0 1.6 15.6 for 16.0 per cent, ana a further- 16.0 Kumhar i 1.3 per cent in the smaller Shudra groups, Lohar 1 1.3 or a total of 32.0 per cent that can be Mallah I 1.5 conveniently labelled 'Lower Back- Tatwa 1 1.6 a total Teli l 2.8 wards'. Altogether, there is Other Shudras 16.0 15.6 Backward community of 51.3 per cent (Total Lower Backwards) (32.0) (31.2) of the state's population, of which cent) are Total Backwards 51.3 50.0 about one-third (19.3 per Upper Backwards and about two-thirds Muslims 12.5 12.2 are Lower Backwards. Bengalis - 2.4 This taxonomy does not exactly ac- Scheduled Castes 14.4 13.8 Scheduled Tribes 9.1 8.9 cord with those of the various com- missions mentioned above, in that it Grand Total 100.0 100.0 excludes a portion of the Muslims and includes a few minor Hindu castes * Column A does not include Bengali speakers as a separate group, while column B not on any of the lists, but it has does include them, with the enlarged total (100 .0 per cent of population +2.5 per two major advantages: it does in- cent Bengali speakers) revised to 100 per cent. clude the groups that people in Bihar Source of data: For specific Hindu castes, 1931 Census; for allothers, 1961 Census. Earlier data have been revised to reflect boundary changes since 1931. think of as being 'backward', and it is relatively easy to work with in identi- To compound the confusion, the cess of elimination, as is done in fying who the Backwards are. chairman of the BCC repudiated the column A of Table 1. Here the figures One more modification is necessary whole idea of backward castes,5 and for Scheduled Castes and Tribes and before we can proceed. In Bihar about in any event in 1964 the Patna High Muslims are taken from the 1961 2.5 per cent of the total population Court declared the 1951 list to be Census and for the traditional four have returned themselves as Bengali unconstitutional, as it was composed Hindu varnas from the 1931 Census.