IS NEOLIBERAL AGENDA A BRAHMIN CONSPIRACY?
India is a strange country. It was a mystery, it is a mystery and it will always remain a mystery. This is how many people like to describe this place. It is nothing but an exaggeration. Logic does not work here, pure cruelty works here better. Elites in India still consist of upper castes. Perhaps that is why inhumanity and unscrupulousness is more at display here. Caste biases and prejudices flow in the veins of Indians. It is another thing that everyone, mainly people belonging to upper castes who are living in cities, denies that caste tendencies exist in our society at all. They also assert forcefully that they do not believe that caste matters at all.
Caste is perhaps more pervasive in India then many of us like to believe. Caste is similar to race. People are educated and do not want to be branded as casteist as nobody in west likes to branded as racist. Despite of the claims it is not only the strength of character, which matters in our society. Caste and color of skin also do. India mainly consists of hypocrites. It consists of people who practice one thing and preach another. Here in this article Brahmin not only means ‘Brahmins’ but all those who belong to the upper hierarchy of the caste system and are not considered untouchable or backward.
Let me answer certain questions in this article. First, what is the relationship between Brahmins and neo-liberalism? People belonging to upper castes were always the opinion leaders in India. They generated discourse and others merely followed. They were the agenda setters. Their grip on the power was firm be it political, administrative or economic. Nehru was always enamoured by the egalitarian polity and principles, so he promoted the concept ‘not socialism but the socialistic pattern of society’. That led to the gradual erosion of hold of upper castes. Leadership emerged out of backward classes and untouchables challenged the hegemony of Brahmins. So far, they are partially successful.
The states like Uttar Pradesh were firmly in the grip of upper castes under the congress rule. Then they lost power to regional leaders like Mulayam Singh and Mayawati who belong to backward and untouchable caste respectively. Before them, people like G. B. Pant, H. N Bahuguna and N. D Tiwari were at the top in the politics. After toppling upper caste politicians now it was the turn of reshaping the administration. 27 per cent reservation in all educational institutions and government jobs further eroded the hold of upper castes on society. It felt like Brahmins have no place to hide.
Brahmins came up with an ingenious solution to establish their hold on society again. It was whole-hearted acceptance of privatization, urbanization and liberalization. They knew if there will be no government jobs, then there will be no attempts to suppress and subdue the hegemony of upper castes to occupy all plum positions. This is perhaps one of the reasons that during the NDA regime, media houses titled towards right-wing political parties, were delivering sermon to youngsters about not aspiring for government jobs. The youth was advised to get ready for life in the private sector.
There is no harm in it and perhaps one like it or not, that is the future, but to promote their liberal agenda policymakers must not crush the last remnants of our efforts to build a socialistic pattern of society. It must not conspire to kill public sector undertakings. Like successive governments are trying to kill government-owned telecom giant BSNL to help private telecom companies. Two major political parties in India readily buy Brahminical ploy that this nation cannot progress without implementing neo-liberal policies.
The second question, which needs an answer, is why Brahmins wants to pursue neo-liberal policies. Perhaps that is the only way for Brahmins to occupy the dominant position and control the society again. In the emerging system, the entire businesses will be under their control. All educational institutions, industries and wealth will also be under their control. Through money, they will be able to control the politics and policies of the nation. Merit according to them will prevail. However, merit is inherently biased and contextual in its genesis. So in short, their hegemony will be full as it always was barring the period Muslim and British rule in India.
The whole of the west led by the US is the ally of Brahmins. They are against the dream of establishing an egalitarian society in India, simply because their interests converge. This theory is not a figment of the imagination. In a subtle manner, history of contemporary India tells us power slipped through the hands of upper castes, but they are still opinion leaders and the only way of their resurgence is a complete overhaul of the system where the political class will have the lesser say in the affairs of people concerning their mutual economic dealings.
A complete reconfiguration of the societal structure is required to re-establish the lost glory and complete hegemony of Brahmins in India. Neoliberal ideology is the strongest ally of Brahmins and perhaps the biggest enemy of backward classes and untouchable community in the short run.
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