Casteism and Social Reform Movements in India

Jyotiba Phule worked for the upliftment of the lower castes to ensure they get equal educational rights. B.R. Ambedkar worked for the upliftment of the Dalits. He also ensured the eradication of untouchability from the society. Gandhiji worked for the upliftment of the Harijans or the backward castes.

The caste system in India is like a hierarchy. It comprised of the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Shudras from the top to the bottom in the hierarchy.

Democracy involves competition among different political parties. This competition later become responsible for division of any society. If these political parties start competing in terms of some existing social division, it can convert social division into political division and lead to conflicts, violence or disintegration of a country.

Different political parties put up same caste candidates in an election if that caste is believed to dominate the electorate in a particular constituency. They do so so that everyone from the same caste should not vote for a particular party. In this way, it reduces majoritarianism.

Caste-based politics is unhealthy in a democracy. Democracy loses its essence when the caste-related issues are brought in politics, to achieve the personal motives of the politicians. Forming a government based on caste politics is a biased approach and can disrupt social harmony. Caste-based politics can divert attention from the pressing issues in the country.

Now a days as per the norms, some of the constituencies are reserved for specific group. In these constituencies only candidate from that group can contest in election . So parties select their candidate from that group. 

The Caste system in India has been in prevalence since Vedic times. The caste system is in hierarchical forms in India. With the advancement of the era, the upper caste people started discriminating lower caste people and tortured them in various ways. In British Raj, there were several caste inequalities in vogue. Lower caste people were not allowed to enter premises reserved for higher caste.

Caste hierarchy means a class structure that is determined by the birth. Under this caste hierarchy, some castes are placed at the top and some are at the bottom. In Hinduism, Brahmins are placed at the top and shudras are at the bottom. 

• Periyar, who is popularly called Rousseau of India and Socrates of South East Asia due to Social Reforms.
• He conducted the Self Respect Movement 1925 for upliftment of the downtrodden community and abolition of caste system.
• He advocated for the abolition of untouchability.

The two political leaders who fought against caste inequalities were Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, several social reformers fought to create a new social system based on freedom, equality, brotherhood, human dignity and economic justice. Periyar E.V. Ramasami Naickar was such a social reformer from South India. He is known as a rationalist and the leader of the lower caste movement in South India. He aroused people to realise that all men are equal and that it is the birthright of every individual to enjoy liberty and equality.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) which means Dravidian Progress Federation was founded by C.N Annadurai on 17th September 1949 in Tamil Nadu. It is a state political party in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Union territory of Puducherry. The DMKs ideology includes social democracy, populist and democratic socialism.

Sri Narayana Guru, born in Kerala, preached brotherhood for all and fought against the ill effects of the caste system. He led a quiet but significant social revolution and gave the watchwords One Caste, One Religion, One God for all men. 

Jyotirao Govindarao Phule also known as Mahatma Jotiba Phule was a social reformer from Maharashtra. Jotiba Phule and his wife Savitri Bai Phule were pioneers of women's education in India. In 1873 he founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (Truth Seekers Society), which was devoted to securing human rights and social justice for low-caste people.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or Majority People's Party is one of the only five prominent national political parties of India. The ideology of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is "Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation" of the Bahujan Samaj, which comprises of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Religious Minorities such as Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Buddhists and account for over 85 percent of the country's total population.

BAMCEF (Backward and Minorities Community Employees Federation) is an organisation largely made up of government employees that campaigns against caste discrimination. It addresses the problems of its members who suffer discrimination. But its principal concern is with social justice and social equality for the entire society.