The election year in Karnataka is witnessing a surge in caste conventions. Political parties of all hues are chanting the “social justice” mantra, and it is not just the ruling Congress but also opposition parties making promises—of erecting statues, renaming streets and airports after icons and setting up skill development centres.
If the Congress is in a mission mode to consolidate the Ahinda (acronym for minorities, OBCs and Dalits) votes, the saffron party is trying to consolidate Hindu votes.
On Sunday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while addressing a Bhovi convention, dubbed the BJP as “anti-reservation”, reasserting that his government would increase the SC/ST and OBC reservation quota in government and education sector to 70 per cent. On the occasion, the CM sanctioned Rs 50 crore to the Bhovi Development Corporation (set up last year) and assured reservation in Karnataka Public Services Commission and other government appointments. He reminded the community that the Congress government in Karnataka was the first to provide reservation to SC and ST contractors in civil works up to Rs 50 lakh.
Around the same time, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who was addressing the ninth state-level Vishwakarma Jayanthi celebrations in Bengaluru, blamed the Congress party for stalling a bill on according constitutional status for the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) in the Rajya Sabha. “Social justice is not alms, but a right. The Modi government has constituted a panel for sub categorisation of OBC castes. This will ensure justice to small and marginalised castes in the OBC list. At present, only a few major castes are cornering all the benefits under the 30 per cent reservation,” said Singh.
In a bid to tap into the Vishwakarma community (with estimated population of 45 lakh) represented by carpenters, goldsmiths and blacksmiths, Siddaramaiah promised a university exclusively to promote skilled craft that would benefit the youths during the Vishwakarma Jayanthi celebrations held recently. Following the exit of a popular face from the community—jeweler K.P. Nanjundi from the Congress, who has joined the BJP and mobilising the community towards the saffron party, the Congress is hoping to woo the community with the district-level Vishwakarma Jayanthi celebrations, attended by the ministers.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurating Valmiki statue in Vidhana Soudha complex in Bengaluru recently
Recently, the Valmiki Jayanthi was another occasion where the netas pledged their commitment to work for the “development” of the Valmiki community.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the statue of Maharshi Valmiki near the Legislators' Home. The statue was installed in a special curated garden “Tapovana” in the Vidhana Soudha complex.
During the Valmiki Jayanthi celebrations at the BJP office, Yeddyurappa chose to remind the community that the concept of Rama Rajya (Model state) was given by the Adikavi Valmiki, the author of Ramayana, and recognised as the first poet of Sanskrit.
If installation of statues of leaders and icons belonging to different communities is a favourite among the netas, renaming roads, airports or metro stations after the icons, the official celebration of 'Jayanthis' (birth anniversary) of historical figures by the government are other forms of tokenism practised by subsequent governments.
After the city railway station was named after Sangolli Rayanna, and the international airport named Kempegowda, the architect of Bengaluru, there has been lobbying for naming and renaming metro station and universities from various caste associations.
While, the city is dotted with statues at every corner and locality, some dating back to the British rule, the Vidhana Soudha complex alone has at least eight statues (including Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Jawaharlal Nehru, Netaji Subas Chandra Bose, Devaraj Urs, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Mahatma Gandhi) and the latest addition is of Sage Valmiki.
Meanwhile, the list of Jayanthis has only grown longer over the years. Besides, Gandhi, Jagjivan Ram and Ambedkar Jayanthis, Karnataka now has official celebration of birth anniversaries of icons like Basavanna (Lingayat), Mahaveer (Jain), Valmiki (Nayaka tribe), Kanakadasa and Sangolli Rayanna (Kuruba), Narayana Guru (Ediga), Vishwakarma (goldsmiths/ carpenter), Nadaprabhu Kempegowda (Vokkaliga), Hema Reddy Mallamma (Reddy-Lingayat), Devara Dasimaiah (weaver), Maharishi Vemana (Telugu poet) among others.
The Congress government's decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanthi two years back, had stirred a major controversy, as some communities opposed it saying Tipu was a barbarian. The clashes that followed the protest rally in Kodagu had resulted in two deaths. As the poll fever catches on, it seems like political appeasement and tokenism are here to stay.
