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BJP vs Mamata: Who will win the caste management game in Bengal?

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 1/14/2021 12:24:59 PM

Kolkata, Jan 13 For long, what made West Bengal politics distinct from other states was the “class factor” and not the “caste factor”. The Left, which ruled the state for a good 34 years, nurtured an electoral mobilisation generated on the basis of “class”, i.e. the rich and poor or haves and have nots. This ensured that unlike other states, the electorate in Bengal voted more on party rather than caste loyalties. This changed in 2011 when the Mamata Banerjeeled Trinamool Congress romped home to victory, leaving the Left in tatters. That election also saw the rise of the Matua community as a vote bank. Numerically significant in several South Bengal districts, the community threw its weight behind Mamata, aiding the Trinamool sweep. The Matua Mahasangha, representatives of the backward caste “namasudras” in Bengal, asserted itself politically and changed existing caste equations in the state to some extent. After becoming chief minister in 2011, Mamata may not have consciously cultivated caste identities as a political weapon, but she did reach out to various communities in different parts of the state who were part of the subaltern in the previous regimes. With her popularity and ease of connecting with people in the subaltern section, Mamata may have highlighted, and provided for them to some extent, but eventually, the same move pushed the emergence of micro caste groups. Under the leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, BJP has found the caste groups created by Trinamool’s efforts as one of the best ammunition to hit Mamata back. Since the early 1990s, the BJP and RSS have been eyeing the tribals, especially in North Bengal, and OBCs to establish a political footprint in the state. Much of this has been done through welfare institutions for these groups, such as Vanvasi Kalyan Ashrams and Shishu Mandirs (singleteacher schools for children from 3-8 years). Veteran RSS pracharaks were tasked with overseeing these activities. Bengal has not borne the kind of caste conflicts as witnessed in the Hindi heartland or in several South Indian states, probably due to the influence of social reformers such as Ram Mohan Roy, Sri Chaitanya, Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Vidyasagar, among others, and the 19th century Bengali Renaissance. There are, however, several sub-castes and social categories like the Matua community. There are about 62 OBC groups in the state. The Rajbongshis of North Bengal have been fighting for a separate identity for a long time. Mamata as chief minister has identified and addressed most of these segments, including Sheikhs among Muslims and Lepchas in Darjeeling, apart from Gorkhas. The Rajbongshis are scheduled castes and numerically significant in North Bengal, especially in Cooch Behar district. Mamata has recently announced two separate boards for them, along with Rs 25 crore for the community’s upliftment. One of the most important Rajbongshi leaders, Ananta Rai Maharaj, is now with the BJP.