The Rise of OBCs in North India

Description

This book explains the structure & processes of Backward Class Mobilization in Northern India, especially in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The Backward Class Movement in Uttar Pradesh took a different trajectory. This movement in UP led to a very substantial mobilization of the backward community & also to their empowerment. It did not take off along class lines & got stuck at the caste level, unlike what happened in neighbourhood state Bihar. The OBCs & Dalits could not join hands in UP.

Hence, there was no homogenization of the backward classes in U.P. All of these features of backward class movement continued in 1990s. The backward-class mobilization in U.P. acquired a definite character in the late 1960s & during the past four decades, it has travelled a long way. It took different routes in UP First, through the mobilization of the peasant classes/castes by Chaudhary Charan Singh; Second, through the mobilization of the Lohiyaite Socialist forces by Mulayarn Singh Yadav & Third, through the mobilization of the lower & middle castes by political parties. Fourth, through the rnobilization of lower middle class consisting of government servants i.e. BAMCEF led by Kanshi Ram. There is no evidence to suggest that these movements took on an independent & autonomous character rather, there was a lot of overlapping & interconnection among these forms of mobilization or movements. However, it becomes crystal clear that Samajwadi Party, the later offshoot of Lok Dal (LD) & Janta Dal (JD) brings with it, the constituent elements or legacies of backward caste/class mobilization in Uttar Pradesh. This book will be useful & guiding threshold for future researchers in the area of Northern Indian State & Identity Politics especially with reference to Uttar Pradesh.