Gundimeda, Sambaiah (2013) Mapping Dalit politics in contemporary India: a study ofUP and AP from an Ambedkarite perspective. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/15858 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. 1 Mapping Dalit Politics in Contemporary India: A Study of UP and AP from an Ambedkarite Perspective Sambaiah Gundimeda A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Department of Politics and International Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, London Number of words: Approximately ninety-five thousands, excluding footnotes and bibliography 2 For Sharmila Sreekumar (Sharmi) Shashikantha Koudoor (Sasi) Vijay Kumar Boratti (Boranna) Beena M.R. Sridhar Modugu (Komati mava) Dilip Menon, Sasheej Hegde and Shamla Medhar (Shammy) But for whose support, affection and love I am not what I am today 3 Declaration I declare that all material presented in this thesis is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person(s). Sambaiah Gundimeda January 2013 4 Abstract……………………………………………………………………… Dalits who are placed at the bottom of the Brahmanical social order, have been the victims of social discrimination, economic exploitation and political oppression for several centuries. Recognising their problem as partly a political problem, the Dalits have taken to active politics during the end of colonial India and made a strong claim for political power. They demanded political representation ever since representative politics was introduced in India back in 1909. Despite the torturous setbacks under the Congress system in post-Independence India, the Dalits, by the early 1990s, had succeeded in carving out a space for themselves in India’s caste-based political landscape. Despite the similarity in the unjust socio-economic and political conditions of the Dalits, and Dalit mobilisations all over India against the injustices meted out to them by the caste-Hindu society, Dalit trajectories of political power have varied across time and region. Recognising the regional variations in the trajectories of Dalit politics, both in colonial and post-colonial India, my thesis analyses the evolution of Dalit politics in two states, i.e., Uttar Pradesh (UP) in Northern India and Andhra Pradesh (AP) in Southern India. It challenges the conventional North-South contrast, which suggests that while politics in northern India for much of the twentieth century was organised around the Hindu-Muslim axis, in southern India it was organised around caste lines. It also suggests that while the lower castes in northern India have come to be influenced by the conservative ideology of Gandhi and his Congress, the Dravidian ideology set the tone and content of lower caste politics in South India, and it is this ideology that resulted in their political empowerment. Such claims, however, do not explain the present political power in the hands of the lower castes of the northern region and why Dalits in Southern India continue to be subservient to the domination of leadership of the upper castes. The divergent outcomes of Dalit politics, this thesis argues, are due to the ideological underpinnings through which their politics have come to be shaped and practised in these states. The socio- economic conditions of the Dalits in these states also contribute, to an extent, towards those divergences. Beyond the analysis of regional divergences, this thesis also attempts to analyse the impact of Dalit assertions upon the upper caste-based political system as well as upon the hierarchical social system. It argues that by deploying caste in their mobilisations, as well as caste-based distribution of, including demands for intra-Dalit, representative seats in the political arena, the Dalits are not only challenging the political domination of the upper castes, but also attempting to challenge the hierarchical nature of the Brahmanical social order in ways that go beyond upper caste ameliorative action for Dalits as well as other lower caste assertions (eg. OBC). This thesis makes two principal arguments. First, it challenges the dominant understanding of the North- South contrast, of the South being more advanced than the North in terms of lower caste assertion. Through a detailed analysis of Dalit politics in UP and AP from the late 19th century to the present, I show that Dalit politics in the North has been ahead of the South, particularly in terms of challenging the dominance of the upper castes in the political arena. Second, the thesis argues that Dalit politics has been ideologically distinct both from upper caste activism on behalf of downtrodden castes, as well as from the politics of other lower castes such as OBCs, in seeking to transform the Brahmanical social order. These arguments develop Dr Ambedkar's pioneering theses on the importance of political power and the annihilation of caste for Dalits. The evolution of Dalit politics in UP and AP is analysed in its historical, sociological and ideological aspects. This thesis is broadly divided into two main sections, while the first section examines Dalit politics in UP, the second section focuses on AP. On the basis of their trajectories, this thesis recognises three stages in Dalit politics. In the first stage which was set in colonial India, Dalit politics in UP were radicalised by the ideologies of Swami Acchutaananda and Ambedkar. But in AP the conservative nature of Gandhi and his Congress Party led to co-optation and ultimately domestication of the Dalit leadership. In the second stage, which is set in post-Independence India, while the Dalit politics in UP grows out of the colonial period to 5 revolve around the idea of seizing political power, in AP they continued to revolve around the notion of self-respect without any attention to the idea of political power for the Dalits. And in the final stage, while the notion of ‘democratisation’ determines the nature of Dalit politics in UP; the idea of ‘classification’ of Dalit reservations had become the main content of Dalit politics in AP. Contents………………………………………….. Abstract 4 List of Tables 7 Glossary of Terms 8-13 Abbreviations 14 Acknowledgements 15-16 Prologue 17-20 Chapter 1 Introduction 21-49 North & South Indian politics – A comparison; Caste & Democracy in India; Ambedkarite Perspective; Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh as case studies; Research Methods; Fieldwork in UP; Fieldwork in AP and Structure of study Part I – Uttar Pradesh 49-195 Making Claims for Power: Dalit Politics in Uttar Pradesh, 1919-67 51-93 Chapter 2 Introduction 2. I. National Movement – Context of Dalit Activism in colonial UP I. 1A. Dalits and Arya Samaj I. 1B. Adi-Hinduism and Dalits Claim for Power I. 2. United Provinces Scheduled Castes Federation of India 2. II RPI: A Prelude to the Future Dalit Politics Conclusion Mobilizing for Power: The Emergence of BSP and Dalit Politics in UP, 1970-90 94-147 Introduction Chapter 3 3. I. Dalits and Congress: A Difficult Relationship A. Political Representation for Dalits and Congress B. Zamindary Abolition Act, Land Reforms and Dalits 3. II. From BAMCEF to Bahujan Samaj Party A. Violence against Dalits – Social Context of the Dalit Organization B. Formation of the BAMCEF and Its Activities C. From DS-4 to BSP 3. III. BSP’s Strategies in the Mobilizations of Dalits A. Using Print Media 2. Cultural Strategies Conclusion Bahujan Samaj Party: Social Justice and Political Practices 148-195 Chapter 4 Introduction 4. I. Dalits and Shudras – Natural Allies or Incompatible Partners? 4. II. The BSP’s idea of Social Justice A. Horizontalization of Vertical Social Order B. Democratization of Un-Democratic Political Order 4. III. Using State 6 A. Rural Poverty and BSP’s Measures B. Using State to Protect Vulnerable Sections C. Ambedkar Statutes – Democratization of Public Space Conclusion Part II - Andhra Pradesh 196-348 For Respect and Social Equality: 197-258 Chapter 5 Dalit Activism in Telugu Country, 1917-50 Introduction 5. I. For Respect and Equality: Dalit Activism in Coastal Andhra A. Education and growth of Dalit consciousness (a) Christian Missionaries; (b) The Colonial State; (c) Caste Hindu Reforms B. The Adi-Andhra Mahajana Sabha (a) Adi-Andhrulu; (b) Questioning the practice of Untouchability; (c) Mala Shuddhi; (d) Makoddii Nallatoratanam; (e) What about our ‘share’? 5. II. For Social Equality and Political Representation: The Adi-Hindu Activism in Hyderabad A. Claiming Adi-Hindu Identity B. Reforming Self C. External Reaching 5. III. Dalit Activism in Telugu Country, 1930-50 A. Pro- Ambedkarite Politics B. Pro-Gandhian Politics C. Pro-Communist Politics Conclusion From Demands for Respect and Social Equality to a Quest 259-315 Chapter 6 for Power: Dalit Movement and Politics in AP, 1950-90 Introduction 6. I. Struggling for Space: Dalit Activities and Politics in AP, 1956-82 A. Dalits and Congress B. Dalits and Communists C. The Republican Party of India D. Ambedkar Yuvajana Sangams 6. II. Mobilizing Against Brahmanism – Dalit activism under APDMS A. Carnage in Karamchedu: Context of the Formation of the APDMS B. Ideology of the APDMS C. Dalits Activism under the APDMS 6. III. Questioning the Domination-The Dalit Politics through the BSP Conclusion Social Justice and the Question of Sub-Classification of Dalit 316-348 Chapter 7 Reservations: The Dandora Debate in AP 1.