BACKWARD CLASS MOVEMENTS WHAT LED TO BACKWARD CLASS

BACKWARD CLASS MOVEMENTS

WHAT LED TO BACKWARD CLASS MOVEMENTS THEY WERE ECOURAGED BY THE POLICY OF DIVIDE AND RULE AS IN 1901 CENSUS ONWARDS THE BRITISH CLASSIFIED CASTE ON THE BASIS OF SOCIAL PRECEDENCE. THE DOMINATIONS OF BRAHAMANS WERE RESENTED BY THE OTHER CASTES. THERE WAS ALSO FOR THE EMANCIPATION OF HARIJANS BY GANDHIJI AND THE FORMATION OF DEPRESSED CLASS ASSOCIATION. NEW LWGISLATIONS INTRODUCED BY THE BRITISH IN 1833, 1858, 1869 A. D EMPHASIZED THAT NO PERSON ON ACCOUNT OF HIS RELIGION, PLACE OF BIRTH, DISCENT, COLOUR WOULD BE DISABLED FROM HOLDING ANY OFFICE OR EMPLOYMENT. BESIDES THISTHE NEW LEGAL SYSTEM TOOK AWAY THE JUDICIAL SANCTIONS OF THE CASTE PANCHAYATS. THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW LARGE SCALE INDUSTRIES THREW OPEN EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO PEOPLE OF ALL CASTES. ALSO THE IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION, IMPACT OF BRITISH EDUCATION(EGALITARIAN, MONISM, DEMOCRATISATION AND RATIONALISATION )WAS FELT AMONG THE CASTES. FURTHER THE POWER OF TRADITIONALLY DOMINATING CLAEE DECLINED DUE TO THE BRITISH COLONIALISM. ALL THESE FACTORS MAKE THE LOWER CASTES APPREHENSIVE OF THEIR RIGHTS AND THEY STATED SEEKING THE STATUS OF EQUALITY SO AS TO MOVE HIGHER UP IN THE ORDER(SANSKRITISATION) AND ACHIEVE SBETTER SOCIAL STATUS AND SOCIAL MOBILITY WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THEIR SOCIETY.

WHY THE MOVEMENTS OCCURRED IN SOUTH AND WESTERN INDIA? UNLIKE IN THE NORTHERN INDIA THE BRAHAMIN COMMUNITY STOOD ALOOF AND APART, AS THE ONE WHICH IS SUPERIOR TO OTHER CASTES. THE DOMINENCE OF BRAHMANS WAS SO GREAT IN SOUTH INDIA THAT IN TH CATEGORISATION OF THE BACKWARD EVEN THE MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS AND THE PARSEES FIGURED. THE IDELOGICAL CENTRE FOR THIS MOVEMENT WAS THE CITY OF MADRAS. TAMIL BRAHMANS HAS A TRADITION OF SCHLORSHIP. IN EVERY DEPARTMENT OF THE STATE THEY OUTNUMBERED THE OTHER CFASTES. SOME HIGHER CASTES OTHER THAN THE NON-BRAHMANS ALSO EXPLOITED THE HARIJAN LABOUR AND OTHER BACLWARD CASTES. AFTER SOME TIME THE BACKWARD CLASSES STARTED DEVELOPING THEIR OWN MYTHOLOGY AND IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AS THE ORIGINAL HABITANTS OF THE LANDS AND THE BRAHMANS AS THE ARYAN INTRUDERS WHO HAVE COME FROM OUTSIDE. ALSO IN THE SOUTH INDIA THE PEOPLE HAVE MORE TIME TO INTERACT WITH THE FOREIGNERS DUE TO WHICH THERE WAS HIGH LEVEL OF CONSCIOUS, RELATIVE PROSPERITY, MORE ENTERPRISING NATURE AND OPPORTUNISM. WHILE IN NORTH INDIA THE BRAHMANS AND THE RAJPUTS LOST THE POWER TO THE TURKS AND LATER TO THE MUGHALS, BUT IN THE SOUTH THEY WERE THE TORCH BEARERS OF HINDUISM AND SEGREGATED THE SOCIETY ON THE BASISI OF CASTE SO AS TO COUNTERPOISE THE ATTACK OF NIZAM.

ALSO THE MINTO-MORLEY REFORMS CONSIDERED SEPARATE ELECTORATE FOR THE MUSLIMS, SIKHS, INDIAN CHRISTIANS, ANGLOINDIANS AND EUROPEANS, THE LEADERS OF THE BACKWARD CLASSES STARTED THINKING THAT THE BRAHMANS WOULD SIEZE ALL OPPORTUNITIES ONCE THE POWER WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE INDIANS. COUPLED WITH THIS IN 1910 A. D VALENTINE CHIROL PUBLISHED THE BOOK “INDIAN UNREST” IN WHICH HE ARGUED THAT IT WAS BRAHMINISM AND THE WESTERN EDUCATION THAT CONSTITUTED A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE BRITISH RULE IN INDIA. FURTHER THE ROWLATT ACT OF 1918 A. D STATED THAT REVOLUTION AND CONSPIRACY IN BOMBAY WERE PURELY THE BRAIN CHILD OF CHITPAVAN BRAHAMANS. IT WAS IN THIS ATMOSPHERE THAT AN ORGANISED BACKWARD CLASS MOVEMENT CAME UP IN THESE PARTS OF THE WORLD.

EFFECT ON SOCIO-POLITICAL LIFE THE SELF RESPECT MOVEMENT WAS STARTED BY E. V. RAMASWAMY NAIKAR IN 1925 A. D. HE ADVOCATED THE WEDDING WITHOUT THE BRAHMIN PRIESTS, TO FORCIBLY ENTER THE TEMPLES, BURNING OF MANU SMRITI, USE OF TAMIL LANGYAGE AND OUTRIGHT ATHEISM. THE JUSTICE PARTY STARTED BY THE MUDALIAR, NAIR AND CHETTI, ACHIEVEMENTS LIE IN THE INTRODUCTION OF GIVING PREFERENCE TO THE BACKWARD CLASSES IN MATTERS OF GOVERNMENT JOBS, ADMISSION TO ENGINEERING, MEDICAL AND SCIENCE COURSES. A SYSTEM OF CASTE QUOTAS WAS ESTABLISHED WHICH WAS STRUCK DOWN BY THE SUPREME COURT. BUT THE 1 ST C. A. ACT LEGALISED IT IN THE NAME OF RESERVATION.

D. M. K WAS FOUNDED BY C. ANNADURAI, IS ALSO ANTI-NORTH A ND ANTIHINDI. HE WAS RATIONALIST IN IDEOLOGY AND A VIGOROUS SUPPORTER OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTH AND SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EGALITARIANISM. SRI NARAYAN GURU (1902) ESTABLISHED SNDP YOGAM. ITS GOSPEL WAS ONE CASTE, ONE RELIGIONAND ONE GOD. IT LAUNCHED A PROGRAM TO UPLIFT CASTE CALLED EZHAVAS. THE EZHAVAS WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE TO GIVE UP INTOUCHABILITY TO THE CASTES BELOW THEM. SIMULTANEOUSLY THERE EMERGED THRUST TOWARDS SOCIAL REFORMS, ANTO BRAHMAN SENTIMENTS, PATRIOTISM AND EVEN RADICALISM. KERELA’S FIRST MODERN NOVEL INDULEKHA ATTACKED NAMBOODARIES SOCIAL DOMINATIONS. THE HISTORICAL MARTANDA VERMA ATTEMPTED AN EVOCATION OF LOST NAYAR MILITARY GLORY. IN THIS REGARD THE CONRIBUTION OF B. R. AMBEDKAR AND JYOTIBHA PHULE WAS IMMENSE.

HOW FAR THEIR OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED? IT WAS DUE TO THE PRESSURE OF THE DEPRESSED CLASS LEADERS THAT THE CONGRESS IN THE KARACHI SESSION(1931) ADOPTED ARESOLUTION ON THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS. ONE SECTION OF IT DECLARED THAT ALL THE CITZENS ARE EQUAL BEFORE LAW. ANOTHER SECTION DECLARED THAT ALL THE CITIZENS HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS AND DUTIES IN REGARD TO THE WELLS, TANKS, ROADS, SCHOOLS AND PLACES OF PUBLIC INTERESTS. ALSO ONE SECTION DECLARED UNIVERSAL ADULT SUFFERAGE. AT LAST THE CONGRESS FINALLY LIQUIDATED ON PAPER THE SOCIAL INSTITUTION OF UNTOUCHABILITY. THE POONA PACT(1932) PROVIDED FOR THE RESERVATION OF THE SEATS FOR THE DEPRESSED CLASSES IN THE GENERAL CONSTITUENCIES. AFTER COMING TO POWER IN 1937 A. D THE CONGRESS CANDIDATES TOOK PLEDGE ON THE REMOVAL OF UNTOUCHABILITY

FINALLY THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION ADOPTED IN 1950 PROCLAIMED THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY. ALSO THE PRACTISE OF UNTOUCHABILITY WAS CONSIDERED AN OFFENCE IN 1955 A. D. THE HINDU MARRIAGE ACT OF 1956 REMOVED THE LEGAL OBSTACLES FOR THE INTER CASTE MARRAIGES. THE MANDAL COMMISSION SUBMITTED ITS REPORT IN 1980 , SUPPORTED THE SYSTEM OF CASTE BASED RESERVATIONS. IT IDENTIFIED OVER 450 BACKWARD CLASSES, COMPRISING 52% OF THE COUNTRY’S POPULATION AND FURTHER RECOMMENDED THE RESERVATION OF 27% IN THE ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS AND JOBS IN GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS FOR THESE CLASSES. TO REDRESS THE GRIEVANCES OF S. C AND S. T WE HAVE SEPARATE COMMISSION FOR S. C AND S. T BY THE NAME OF NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR S. C AND THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR S. T. WE ALSO HAVE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES. . IN 2005 THE PARLIAMENT PASSED THE 93 RD C. A. ACT WHICH PROVIDES FOR THE RESERVATION OF SEATS IN THE PRIVATE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTATIONS TO O. B. Cs OTHER THAN THE MINORITY INSTITUTIONS.

CATCH………. . BUT STILL THE MAKING OF LAW IS NOT AT ALL SUFFICIENT. UNTILL AND UNLESS THE SOCIAL SIGMA ARE REMOVED FROM THE MINDS OF THE PEOPLE AND THERE IS A GENUINE EFFORT ON THE OART OF THE SOCIETY(CIVIL SOCIETY, NGO, SELP HELP GROUPS, COMMON CITIZEN ETC) TO WORK FOR THE AMELIORATION OF THE SOCIETY, NOTHING CAN HAPPEN.