CLASS AND ITS ROLE IN INDIAN POLITICS

What is Class? The class system is a system of stratification of society on the basis of education,

property, business/work etc. Sociology as a subject deals with the Class System and provides

definitions and understanding of teh subject of class in society.

Karl Max - 'Man is a class animal' i.e. his status age, education etc are not same in the society.

Common Basis For Division Of Class

 Property – capitalist & the poor – the haves & the have nots.

 Education - Illiterate & literate

 Business or Occupation - farmers, clerk officers, industrialists etc.

In general, class consciousness is a must in the class system. There must be the we feeling. The

charade of in group given by Summer is found in the class system – I belong? Identifying oneself

in a particular group or family is the key. The behavior of a person is fixed due to their class

consciousness. Trade union is a result of class consciousness. These is feeling of superiority &

inferiority in class syst. The higher has the feeling superiority & the lower class feels inferior. In

these classes too there is sub classes as Upper Open class, middle upper class, lower upper class;

lower middle class, middle class; upper lower class, middle lower class, to lower2 class. Class

system is open in character. Because it is based on a variety of things like age, sex etc. Also one
can change one's less easily. The people of lower class may enter the upper class & those of the

upper class may become members of the lower class.

Definition Of Class System

Following are some of the class system definitions as per sociologists.

P.Gisbert - "A social class is a category or group of persons having a definite status in society

which permanently determines their relation to other group – feeling of superiority &

inferiorities. The relative position of the class in the social scale arises from the degree of

prestige attached to the status.

Mac Iver & Page - "A social class is any portion of community marked off the

from the rest by social status 'Ongburn & Nimk off. A social class is the aggregate

of persons having essentially the same social status in a given society." i.e. a class

consciousness.

Max weber – held that "classes are aggregate of individuals who have the same

opportunities of acquiring goods. The same exhibited standard of living.

Hoebal defines "A social class is a group within a society, whose members hold a

no. of distinctive status in common & who trough the operation of roles associated
 with these status, develop are awareness of the life interest as against the unlike

trait & interest of other groups."

In general "A social class consists of group of individuals who are ranked by the

members of the community in socially superior inferior position."

Characteristics of Class System:

1. Class system is based on occupation, wealth, education, age and sex.

2. Hierarchy of status group. In general there are 3 class – upper middle &

tower. Status, prestige & role is attached. Upper class are less in no in comparison

to the other two whereas their status & prestige is most. This is like a pyramid.

Karl max (Rich & poor) preliterate &

3. Feeling of superiority & inferiority. In these 3 classes there are such feelings

the upper class people feel they are superior to the other two whereas the lower

class feels it is inferior to the upper class.

4. Class consciousness – wherever a class is formed this feeling a

consciousness is a must. There should be feeling of in group i.e. I belong class

conflict is due to this the people of the preliterate class feel the upper class exploits
 them their they unite revolt. The behavior action is determined by this class

consciousness.

5. Sub-classes, class is divided into different groups. Similar to caste system,

the class system is divided.

6. Class system is an open system.

7. There's social restriction in this too. In general there is endogamy in a class.

To maintain their status & position they mix among themselves & it is seldom that

marriage between upper & lower class is wished. Distinction between Caste &

class. They are the two phenomena of social stratification (Stratification is division

of society on the basis of birth).

Difference between Class and Caste system

S.No. Caste Class

1. Based on birth Birth, education, wealth etc.
2. In general there are 3000 castes & Whereas class has subclasses (based

sub-castes in India. on different things)

3. Caste is a closed group Whereas Class is an open system
4. Even Sanskritisation is unable to Whereas class can be changed quiet

change caste easily.

5. Caste is hereditary  
6. Caste is a closed class. A child of But there is no such thing in class.

Brahmin will always be a Brahmin.

7. Status is inborn and ascribed in Whereas in class system, it is acquired

Caste System. & achieved.

Relationship between caste and class in Indian context:

During the recent years, caste mobilisation has become an important factor  in
shaping Indian politics.  Ever since the issue of Mandal Commission reservations
in government jobs for the OBCs came to the national agenda in 1989, it has left
an impact on the evolution of national politics.  For a Marxist and a Communist,
it is not only necessary to assess this growing role of caste  assertion in Indian
political life but also to map out the manner in which the unity of the toilers' is
strengthened in order to achieve the People's Democratic Revolution. Unless, as
PS always used to teach us, we tackle with clarity this important phenomenon,
we will not be able to overcome the potentially  disruptive role that caste
mobilisation can have on toilers' unity.  It is for these reasons that this issue
needs to be address with all seriousness.
At the outset, it is necessary to debunk a common fallacy that attempts to pit caste versus
class.   Vested interests often advise Communists that since they believe in class divisions in
society, caste ought not to  engage their attention. Such  a mechanical distinction between
caste and class is not only a vulgar simplification but divorced from the present day Indian
reality.  The caste stratification of our society is something that has come down to us from
centuries.  Despite all the refinements and changes within castes and between castes, that have
taken place over the years, the basic structure, in so far as the oppression of the dalits or the
backward  castes is concerned remains. It is within this social stratification that the class
formation in India is taking place.  Capitalism is still developing in India  and  the process of
the development of society divided into modern capitalist classes, is taking place constantly
within the existing caste stratification. The question therefore, is not one of class versus caste.
It is the formation of classes under modern capitalism within the inherited caste structure.   To
a large extent, the most exploited classes in our society, constitute the most socially oppressed
castes. And, to that extent, the struggle against class exploitation and the struggle against
social oppression complement each other. These sections as it were, are subject to dual
oppression.  It is this  complementarity that not only needs to be recognised but on the basis of
that  recognition, it must follow that an important task before the Communist movement in
our country today is the  integration of the struggle against class exploitation  with the
struggle against social oppression.  As we shall see later, it is only through such an integration
that the firm unity of the toilers can be forged and strengthened in order to  advance towards
People's Democracy.

ROLE OF DIFFERENT CLASSES IN POLITICS IN INDIA

In prevailing theories, middle class has often been considered the mainstay of
democracy. Here, a direct correlation is made between higher economic
development, education, middle class and higher political participation, open
political attitudes (toleration of opposition, inter-personal trust). However the
Indian experience defies these theories.

While it can be argued that the notion of the authentic middle class, progressive
and liberal in its views, is a myth the world over, this is particularly true in the
Indian context. For, far from having a rationalist modern political attitude, Indian
middle class use their social and cultural capital in contradictory ways: advocating
radical change and preservation of tradition; liberty and authoritarianism; equality
and hierarchy all at the same time. As mentioned earlier, their political attitudes are
largely influenced by their location in the caste, religion, ethnicity, language sub
group and the Indian middle classes have not militated against identity politics.
Even as the new middle class becomes globally mobile, inhabits modern spaces,
uses the language of modernity, they actively participate in articulations of identity
politics of both the dominant "majorities" and of the "minorities".

Besides, their actions are about protecting their own interests and social privileges.
Many scholars have also pointed out to the preoccupation of the middle classes
with their own ken of interests and consumption, and immunity to abject poverty
and deprivation around; their zealous protection of upper caste privileges and
promotion of Hindutva (hindu right wing nationalism); to their thriving on
"connections", family and patronage. There are of course exceptions, and sections
of middle classes have spoken out or joined progressive movements, but these at
large have been the dominant tendencies of Indian middle classes.

When it comes to procedures of democracy, in sharp contradiction to the law of

political participation the world over, in India it is the uneducated, and the poor
who vote more than the educated middle class; Dalits and members of the "lower
caste" vote more than upper castes, rural areas vote more than urban areas, women
vote almost as much as men do. The new middle classes, in another words, are
absent from electoral politics despite growing voter turnout. This is not to suggest
that the middle class do not enjoy dominance, but to highlight that the power and
influence of the middle class is played out outside electoral politics and institutions
of the state, through the convergence of its interest with the market, media, and an
increasingly neoliberal state.

In India, the poor and disadvantaged castes vote proportionally more than the rich
and the upper castes, and often more than those in developed democracies.
Similarly, voter turnout is generally higher in rural areas than in cities. Not all
elected state governments have pro-poor policies, but the poor have higher
expectations of the state than the rich. This faith of India’s poor and marginalised
in the democratic process stems from their expectations of the state, which is
required by law to provide fair opportunities to every citizen irrespective of caste,
creed, religion, and economic status, and to actively work to eliminate these
barriers.

New forms of Citizens' Activism

Along with this, the middle class has been increasingly turning to 'new politics' to
set policy agendas without being dependent on electoral results. This 'new politics'
centers around new forms of organizations and "associational activism" – all in the
domain of the civil society. For instance, if one examines middle class voting
behavior in the decentralized local government of Indian cities, on one hand the
middle classes have withdrawn from participating in the local self governance
elections (in contrast to urban poor and marginalized groups). On the other hand,
the middle classes have entered the local governance structures and exercise their
clout over decision making through civil society organizations, middle class
neighborhood associations, such as Advanced Locality Management groups
(ALMs), or Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), or other parallel structures
which are increasingly becoming integral part of the governance of cities -
circumventing the formal democratic process and undermining their value.

Of late, the 'middle class' has increasingly sought to influence national agenda and
policies through new forms of citizens' activism and on issues that directly affect it.
For a while now, middle class anger has been spilling into city squares and streets.
Given their 'ownership' of digital and media technology, their intersecting interest
with mainstream media, and televisions, their protests and anger have become
spectacular, and received far more coverage and attention than any other protests
by tribal's, the poor, or Dalits in India. However, from the initial middle class
protests such as demand for "justice" for Jessica Lal, justice for Priyadarshini
Mattoo, and Nitish Katara[5], to the later anti corruption protests in 2011, and the
anti rape protests in 2012, – these movements grew more amorphous, drawing in
the aspiration and some participation of urban working class.