Politics in West Bengal: The Riddle of Caste Linkages

What is it about?

This chapter attempts to revisit two myths concerning the politics of West Bengal. The most pervasive myth, known as “Bengali exceptionalism” , holds that caste is no longer relevant in West Bengal. Because, in contrast to other Indian states, the state does not exhibit caste-based violence. Also, because the prolonged 34 years of Left Front rule in West Bengal seemingly resulted in the “class” approach displacing the “caste” identity in electoral politics. Another myth that has persisted about the state in recent times is that certain caste groups have become important in state politics. This is because of the efforts to mobilise certain castes like the Namasudra and Rajbanshi by the ruling TMC to counter the communal polarisation by the BJP. Debnath argues that caste, in West Bengal, as a “politics of ideology," still plays a major role in everyday life as a framework that perpetuates socio-economic inequalities and hierarchies. On the other hand, caste as a “politics of representation” is not as significant in electoral politics in West Bengal as it is in other parts of the country.

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Photo by Kanishk Agarwal on Unsplash

Photo by Kanishk Agarwal on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This chapter attempts to revisit two myths concerning the politics of West Bengal. The most pervasive myth, known as “Bengali exceptionalism” , holds that caste is no longer relevant in West Bengal. Because, in contrast to other Indian states, the state does not exhibit caste-based violence.

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