Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 Power and Influence in India Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 Exploring the Political in South Asia Series Editor: Mukulika Banerjee Reader in Anthropology, London School of Economics and Political Science Exploring the Political in South Asia is devoted to the publication of research on the political cultures of the region. The books in this Series will present qualitative and quantitative analyses grounded in field research, and will explore the cultures of democracies in their everyday local settings, specifically the workings of modern political institutions, practices of political mobilisation, manoeuvres of high politics, structures of popular beliefs, content of political ideologies and styles of political leadership, amongst others. Through fine-grained descriptions of particular settings in South Asia, the studies presented in this Series will inform, and have implications for, general discussions of democracy and politics elsewhere in the world. Also in this Series The Vernacularisation of Democracy: Politics, Caste and Religion in India Lucia Michelutti ISBN: 978-0-415-46732-2 Rise of the Plebeians? The Changing Face of Indian Legislative Assemblies (Eds) Christophe Jaffrelot and Sanjay Kumar ISBN: 978-0-415-46092-7 Broadening and Deepening Democracy: Political Innovation in Karnataka E. Raghavan and James Manor ISBN: 978-0-415-54454-2 Retro-modern India: Forging the Low-caste Self Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 Manuela Ciotti ISBN: 978-0-415-56311-6 Power and Influence in India Bosses, Lords and Captains Editors Pamela Price Arild Engelsen Ruud Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 LONDON NEW YORK NEW DELHI First published 2010 by Routledge 912–915 Tolstoy House, 15–17 Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi 110 001 Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Transferred to Digital Printing 2010 © 2010 Pamela Price and Arild Engelson Ruud © 2010 Paul R. Brass for ‘Leadership and the Power of Honour in a Corrupt System’. Typeset by Star Compugraphics Private Limited D–156, Second Floor Sector 7, Noida 201 301 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publishers. Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-0-415-58595-8 To Birgit and Hans-Olaf Ruud in memoriam and to Leila Gillette Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 Contents List of Abbreviations ix Glossary xi Foreword by Mukulika Banerjee xv Introduction xix 1. Creating Followers, Gaining Patrons: Leadership Strategies in a Tamil Nadu Village 1 Björn Alm 2. Leadership and Political Work 20 Mukulika Banerjee 3. Wrestling with (Body) Politics: Understanding ‘Goonda’ Political Styles in North India 44 Lucia Michelutti 4. To Create a Crowd: Student Leaders in Dhaka 70 Arild Engelsen Ruud 5. Contradictory Youth Politics: Student Mobilisation in Uttar Pradesh 96 Craig Jeffrey 6. The New Caste Headmen? Dalit Movement Leadership in Tamil Nadu 119 Hugo Gorringe 7. The Enduring Appeal of Populist Leadership in Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 Contemporary Tamil Nadu 144 Andrew Wyatt 8. Leadership and the Power of Honour in a Corrupt System 169 Paul R. Brass 9. Beyond Clientelism: Digvijay Singh’s Participatory, Pro-Poor Strategy in Madhya Pradesh 193 James Manor viii Power and Influence in India 10. Development, Drought and Campaign Rhetoric in South India: Chandrababu Naidu and the Telugu Desam Party, 2003–2004 214 Pamela Price About the Editors 244 Contributors 245 Index 247 Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 List of Abbreviations ACD Anti-Corruption Department ADMK also known as AIADMK, Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam AIYM All India Yadav Mahasabha BDO Block Development Officer BJP Bharatiya Janata Party BNP Bangladesh Nationalist Party BSP Bahujan Samaj Party CCSU Chaudhry Charan Singh University CPB Communist Party of Bangladesh CPI Communist Party of India CPM Communist Party of India (Marxist) CSDS Centre for the Study of Developing Societies DIG Deputy Inspector-General DLM Dalit Liberation Movement DMDK Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam DMK Dravida Munnetra Kazahgam DPI the Liberation Panthers Iyyakam, the largest Dalit movement in Tamil Nadu DU Dhaka University DWCRA Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas EGS Education Guarantee Scheme JCD Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, student wing of BNP LF Left Front, the ruling coalition in West Bengal MC Meerut College MLA Member of Legislative Assembly Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 MLC Member of Legislative Council MP Member of Parliament NBS Naujawan Bharat Sabha NGO Non-governmental Organisation OBC Other Backward Classes PMK Pattali Makkal Katchi PP Paraiyar Peravai x Power and Influence in India PT Puthiya Tamilagam, also spelt Puthiya Tamizhagam PWG Peoples’ War Group, a militant revolutionary group SC Scheduled Caste SDO Subdivisional Officer SFI Student Federation of India, student organisation affiliated to the CPM SP Samajwadi Party TN the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, also spelt Tamilnadu TDP Telugu Desam Party UP the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh VAO Village Administrative Officer VC Vice-Chancellor Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 Glossary Ahir: a landowning caste, also known as Yadav akhara: local wrestling gymnasium Ambedkar: Dalit lawyer, founder of Dalit activism Andolan: refers to the Narmada Bachao Andolan, the movement resisting the Narmada dam project Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK): also known as All- India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, one of the two most powerful political parties in Tamil Nadu annan: Tamil word meaning elder brother Arya Samaj: a movement of reformed Hinduism Backward Caste: a caste of intermediate social status between elite castes and lower castes Bagdi: a scheduled caste Bahujan Samaj Party: the most successful Dalit-led party in India bal: brute and raw strength Bargadar: sharecropper Bhadralok: ‘gentleman’, educated Bengali bhrashtachar: corruption Brahmin: the ritually highest caste (varna) Chamar: a large scheduled caste Cheri: Dalit residential area dada: lit. elder brother, also used for local strong man Dalit: a Marathi term meaning downtrodden, adopted by politically active ex-Untouchables darshan: the act of seeking the blessing of a divinity or a superior Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK): Dravidian Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 Association for the Progress of the Country dol or dal: group, political ‘faction’ Dom: a scheduled caste Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK): Association for the Progress of Dravidians, one of the two most powerful political parties in Tamil Nadu Dravidianism: a movement of cultural nationalism to support the interests of people speaking languages belonging to the Dravidian language family xii Power and Influence in India Ekta Parishad: a Gandhian organisation which worked among disadvantaged groups ghus: bribe goonda: bully Gujar or Gujjar: a scheduled tribe guru: a teacher who brings his disciples into self-realisation Hindutva: Hindu-ness, a concept in Hindu nationalist ideology Janata Party: formed in opposition to the ruling Congress party when Indira Gandhi was prime minister; formed the first non-Congress central government in post-Independence India Jat: intermediate status caste group, dominant peasant caste in north India Kallar: a fairly low-ranking caste by orthodox Tamil standards, once labelled a ‘criminal caste’ Kshatriya: the ritually second-highest varna Lok Sabha: the lower house of the Indian Parliament Madras: the former name for Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu Marutham Network: a coalition of charitable and social institutions mastan: bully mukhtar: attorney or solicitor Naxalite: militant revolutionary group neta: leader, career politician Pallar: Dalit caste in Tamil Nadu Panchayat: statutory local government body Paraiyar Peravai: an organisation to forward Paraiyar caste interests Paraiyars: the most populous Tamil Dalit caste Pargana: the next lowest administrative level in a district Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK): party supporting the interests of the Vanniar caste in Tamil Nadu Patwari: the village record-keeper Puthiya Tamilagam: an organisation to forward Pallar caste interests Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:25 24 May 2016 rajniti: politics Rajput: an elite caste in north India Republican Party of India (RPI): a Dalit political party sadhu: a holy man samaj seva: serving society Scheduled Caste (SC): bureaucratic term for those castes entitled to positive discrimination Glossary xiii Scheduled Tribe (ST): bureaucratic term for those tribes that are entitled to positive discrimination shakti: power and energy shishya: the disciple of a teacher, a guru Shiv Sena: a party of cultural nationalism in western India Syed: a Muslim ‘caste’ tadbir kora: ‘supervising’ or ‘looking after’; ‘doing deals’ Tahsil: a revenue division, also know as taluk Taluk: also spelt taluka, a revenue division Talukdar: