Revision summary
Democracy organised caste as interest and identity. Kothari called this politicisation, not disappearance. Mandal and Dalit assertion expanded who counts as a political caste. Dominant castes converted land-numbers into legislatures. This is rising political caste, not a return of total ritual order.
Model answer
Introduction
Caste has grown more significant in Indian politics even as some village ritual declined. Democracy did not dissolve jati; it organised it as a vote, a quota, and a public name.
Body
Why increasing
- Rajni Kothari’s politicisation of caste: parties need clusters, and caste is a ready cluster.
- Mandal and OBC assertion made the middle of the ladder a national political subject.
- Reserved seats, panchayat quotas, and census talk keep caste on the file.
What changed, not vanished
- Srinivas’s dominant caste entered Vidhan Sabhas. Beteille’s asymmetry means ritual rank is not the same as MLA power.
- Dalit parties and Ambedkarite symbols made the bottom a political identity, not only a disability.
Caution
- Caste in politics is not the same as the old jajmani. It is competitive dignity and share.
- Class and religion still cut it. A single caste rarely wins a nation.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD V[Vote quota] --> POL[Caste in politics] K[Kothari] --> POL M[Mandal Dalit parties] --> POL
Conclusion
Caste’s political significance has increased because the vote rewards organised ascriptive groups. That is transformation of caste, not proof that sociology should return to Dumont’s whole as the state.
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