(Prof S Simhadri)
As visualized by B.P. Mandal in his report, OBC identity, education, participation, power, entrepreneurship, and transformation in production relations as an integrated approach makes sense of nation-building only along with SC, ST, and upliftment of women, the poorer and others.
And this is what India should be in the context of hate ridden exclusionary hierarchically caste-based graded inequality approach of Mandir politics.
The Backward classes commission, also popularly called Mandal Commission was constituted, under the chairmanship of B.P. Mandal, to fulfill the Constitutional requirement.
The terms of reference according to which Mandal Commission Report (MCR) had to “determine the criteria of defining the socially and educationally backward classes” and “to recommend steps to be taken for the advancement of the socially and educationally backward classes of citizens so identified”.
Today August 25 BP Mandal’s birth anniversary
B.P.Mandal says that “The necessary law laid down by the supreme court regarding the maximum quantum of reservation for the socially and educationally backward classes, under the meaning of Article 15(4) and 16(4) has also been kept in view in our report”.
While talking about OBCs, we need to get abreast of the Constituent Assembly debate where Dr.B.R.Ambedkar put forth the identity of backward classes and their upliftment bringing in justice, equality and fraternity.
There was resistance from the members belonging to higher castes. Dr. Punjab Rao Deshmukh stood by Dr.Ambedkar and argued for representation based on proportionate to the population of castes and communities.
Unfortunately, the Constituent Assembly did not have representation from OBCs. In fact, the OBC category did not exist in the eyes of the central government until 1990. Nehru-headed Congress government at the center constituted Backward Classes Commission chaired by Kaka Kalalkar. The report of the first commission was placed in the parliament in 1956 and it was rejected by the Congress government.
Subsequently, almost fifteen commissions were appointed by ten state governments, and all of them were struck down by different courts. The movements led by the OBC association, caste association, and socialists have demanded constitution and implementation of the Backward Classes Commission as mandated by the Constitution and define OBCs based on caste. They also demanded representation and upliftment of OBCs that will facilitate participation, dignity, and self-respect.
Janta party headed union government in the center made the announcement in the parliament on December 20, 1979, to constitute second backward classes commission making B.P. Mandal as Chairman.
Notification setting up Backward Classes Commission was issued on January 1, 1979. The backward classes commission was inaugurated by Moraji Desai, Prime Minister of India on 21st March 1979 and ended with a valedictory address by Indra Gandhi, Prime Minister of India on 12th December 1980.
B.P Mandal as chairman and the four members along with secretary S S Gill worked hard with a well-knit team for two years and submitted the Backward Classes Commission Report to Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, President of India on December 31, 1980.
The Commission took the assistance of Prof M.N. Srinivas, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, Prof. Jogendra Singh, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, and Prof. B.K. Roy Burman, Vishwa Bharati University, Calcutta, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay, and Indian Law Institute, Delhi. Electronic Commission helped processing data, both primary and secondary. Registrar General of India and Commissioner, Census Operations made available its population census to arrive at the OBC population. In fact, the commission requested the Home Ministry to take up caste census in the future as it suffered in arriving at caste data through the 1931 census. The commission conducted a field survey on a sample basis at all India level to define OBC’s based on criteria of social and educational backwardness and social mobility
The commission observed that “Castes are the building bricks of Hindu social structure”. The “ritual ranking of castes has been to create deep-rooted vested interests in the system and to enable the higher castes to exploit the lower castes through the institutional framework of social organization.
“ The real triumph of the caste system lies in not upholding the supremacy of the Brahmin but in conditioning the consciousness of the lower castes accepting their inferior status in the ritual hierarchy as a part of the natural order of things “, says MCR.
In the light of various arguments made by the intelligentsia, organizations and social movements on the question of the status of caste and its consequences on social backwardness, the commission, and its scientific methodology conclude that social backwardness and poverty are the consequences of caste. Therefore the social backwardness has to be viewed as a major problem of Indian society and therefore the first recommendation. MCR identified 3475 castes with a population of 52% as OBC’s. The similar percentage of OBC’s in non- Hindu population which adds to 8.4% as part of OBC’s. Thus the total population of Hindu and non-Hindu OBC’s added up to nearly 52% (43.70% + 8.40%) of the country’s population.
The very first recommendation by MCR says, “It may appear that the upliftment of Other Backward Classes is part of the larger national problem of the removal of mass poverty. The deprivation of OBC’s is a very special case of larger national issue: here the basic question is that of social and educational backwardness and poverty is only a direct consequence of these two crippling caste-based handicaps. As these handicaps are embedded in our social structure, their removal will require far-reaching structural changes “.
“In India, government service has always been looked upon as a symbol of prestige and power by increasing the representation of OBC’s in Government services, we give them an immediate feeling of participation in the governance of this country”, says MCR.
As part of terms of reference, the commission was referred to the quantum of Reservation to be fixed in the areas of service and education according to Articles 15 (4) and 16 (4). The commission felt that reservation in employment gives a sense of participation in the “corridors of Power” which gives the backward classes morale booster and feeling of socially elevated. However, there is opposition from the ruling elite as they are keen on preserving their privileges.
In relation to political power, MCR recommends that ” In a democratic setup every individual and community has a legitimate right and aspiration to participate in ruling this country. Any situation which results in a near-denial of this right to nearly 52% of the country’s population needs to be urgently rectified”.
Further, it is analyzed that ” the population of OBCs, both Hindu and non-Hindu is around 52% of the total population of India. Accordingly, 52% of all posts under the Central Government should be reserved for them. But this provision may go against the law laid down in a number of Supreme Court judgments wherein it has been held that the total quantum of reservation under Articles 15 (4) and 16 (4) of the constitution should be below 50%… In view of this legal constraint, the Commission is obliged to recommend a reservation of 27% only, even though their population is almost twice this figure”.
“The above reservation should also be applicable to promotion quota at all levels”, says MCR.
In the context of liberalisation, globalisation and privatisation the governments are withdrawing from the public sector and they are put on sale. Most of the corporates at national and global levels are capturing resources and industry in the name of disinvestment and Public-Private Partnership. As a result of which the size of the public sector in employment is shrinking thereby pre-empting OBC reservations in employment. In view of this, the recommendation made by Mandal in the private sector is much more desirable to pluralize administration and service.
Therefore MCR recommends that ” All private sector undertakings which received financial assistance from the government in one form or the other should also be obliged to reserve personnel on the aforesaid basis”.
As it is well-established fact that education shapes the nation from the point of view of knowledge, thought, information, and brings in a change in the social system. It is a great mobilizer of people both vertically and horizontally as for as a social system is concerned. Therefore MCR says that there is massive cultural backwardness among people and the 27% OBC reservation should be reserved in all scientific, technical, and professional institutions.
Further MCR says that ” upgrading cultural environment ..may be tackled..on two fronts. First, an intensive and time-bound program for adult education should be launched… This is a motivational approach, as only properly motivated parents will take a serious interest in educating the children. Secondly, residential schools should be set up in these areas for backward class students to provide the climate specifically conducive to serious studies. All facilities in these schools including board and lodging will have to be provided free of cost to attract students from poor and backward homes, separate Government hostels for OBC students with the above facilities will be another step in the right direction”.
“After all, education is the best catalyst of change, and educating the backward classes is the surest way to improve the self-image and raise social status”.
India is a reservoir of rich talent and hereditary occupations having expertise in skills and knowledge related to manufacturing, engineering, fabrication, weaving and handicrafts, services agriculture and animal rearing, leather works, management, teaching, art, theatre, architecture, medicine etc. Such rich inborn resources are left to themselves without having policy, finance, and training to mainstream them as part of modernization.
Therefore MCR says that there is a need for developing entrepreneurship in the sense of modernization and recommended, ” vocational communities following hereditary occupations have suffered heavily as a result of industrialization. Mechanical production and introduction of synthetic materials have robbed the village Potter, oil crusher, blacksmith, carpenter, etc. of their traditional means of livelihood and the pauperization of those classes is a well-known phenomenon in the country-side”.
” It has, therefore become very necessary that suitable institutional finance and technical assistance is made available to such members of village vocational communities who want to set up small scale industries on their own. Similar assistance should also be provided to those promising OBC candidates who have obtained special vocational training…cooperative society of occupation groups will also help a lot”.
” The share of OBCs in the industrial and business life of the country is negligible and this partly explains their extremely low income levels. As a part of its overall strategy to uplift the backward classes, it is imperative that all state governments are suitably advised and encouraged to create a separate network of financial and technical institutions to foster business and industrial enterprise among OBCs”.
MCR recommends the formation of Backward Classes Development Corporation, a separate ministry for OBCs and carving out separate constituencies for Gaddis, Neo-Buddhists, Fishermen, and Gujjars.
Structural transformation makes Reservations meaningful:
Mandal Commission says that ” Reservations in government employment and educational institutions, as also all possible financial assistance will remain palliatives unless the problem of backwardness is tackled at its root”.
“….backward classes continue to remain in mental and material bondage of the higher castes and rich peasantry…. Through their little Monopoly of means of production the higher costs are able to manipulate and coerce the backward classes into acting against their own interest” says MCR.
“It is the commission’s firm conviction that a radical transformation of the existing production relations is the most important single step that can be taken for the welfare and development of all backward classes”.
“The Commission, therefore, strongly recommends that all the state governments should be directed to enact and implement progressive legislation so as to effect basic structural changes in the existing production relations in the country”.
Mandal commission as the Constitutional Commission sees caste centrality of the Indian social system and underlines the significance of the social transformation agenda of anti-caste movements. As a result of MCR, OBCs have taken birth nationally on the day union government announced on the floor of parliament on August 7, 1990. In spite of opposition from the congress-BJP combine and also because of anti-Mandal movement, The Supreme court of India upheld the recommendations made by the Mandal Commission Report.
It is in fact a victory of the unity of the movements of backward classes. The anti-OBC agenda of Mandir politics has been held unjust and therefore got rejected in all fronts. The problem of criteria for defining socially and educationally backward classes-OBC got resolved by the Mandal Commission. Which in fact remained unresolved from the days of the Constituent Assembly, i.e. 1946 to 1990. People’s movement headed by OBC and caste associations and socialist and Bahujans and non-Brahmin movements proved right and just. In view of the OBC Agenda given by Mandal Commission, it is for OBCs to take the social transformation movement forward in pluralizing development and democracy.
