No BJP can not do that. Rather the top echelons of BJP are strongly in favour of maintaining the caste discrimination. If possible they would like to remove the reservation policy. But the reason for that is not restoring a caste-less society. BJP simply wants to remove the reservation, not the caste discrimination. In the 2021 election, Modi extensively tried to highlight the Motua community in Bengal. Indian politics was not so caste-specific till Indira Gandhi was PM. In fact, cast-driven politics started gaining ground in the late sixties because that was the only way for the local parties to establish their ground.
Maratha Kranti Morcha, a rallye for Marathi castes demanding respect of their rights in Mumbai last year. Mhidanesh/Wikimedia, CC BY-NC-SA
In Bengal, the caste division was not so prominent. So in Bengal, they took the help of leftist politicians to throw out Congress. Though Bengal had a base of leftist politics since most of its top leaders including Netaji believed in socialist policies. India has been traditionally ruled by the monarch, even the the British rule was monarchism. Plus, the UK & US turned capitalist economies despite the adoption of democracy. While India fought for democracy fighting against monarchism and capitalist British government that looted the Indian economy. The common people wouldn’t have wanted India to go back to a rightist government.
Typically it is the socialist form of governance that believes in equality. Caste barriers or caste discrimination have no place in a socialist form of government. BJP is out and out a right-wing party with strong religious affinity. The hardcore followers of Hinduism are strong believers of the Varnashrama-dharma where duties are performed according to the system of four varnas (social divisions) - Brahhmn, Kshatriya, Vashhya, and Sudra. Four varnas – Brahmanas (priests, teachers, and intellectuals), Kshatriyas (police, army, and administration), vaishyas (farmers, merchants, and business people), and Shudras (artisans and workers). The Varnashrama essentially entails religious rights and perfunctory as well
So it makes it difficult for the BJP to do away with the caste system. This is the typical problem that arises when religion is mixed with politics. It can happen with any religion where there's more than one faction or path. In Chhrstanty there was a time when there used to be frequent clashes between the Catholics and the Protestants. In Islam, frequent clashes are happening between the Sunni and Shia Muslims. In Afghanistan, the Taliban believe in the strictest Islamic rules. They become hostile to moderate Muslims
Other than Hinduism the division of labour is not there in any other religion. But that didn’t stop them from getting divided into multiple sects. Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism are the three largest groups within Christianity. Christianity is divided into many denominations. They differ in what they use as the basis of their doctrines and beliefs. The biggest split is between Catholicism and the denominations that have roots in the Protestant Reformation.
- Anglican/Episcopal: The Scriptures and the Gospels, and church fathers.
- Assembly of God: The Bible only.
- Baptist: The Bible only.
- Lutheran: The Bible only.
- Methodist: The Bible only.
- Presbyterian: The Bible and the Confession of Faith.
- Roman Catholic: The Bible, church fathers, popes, and bishops.
This is not the end. There are other denominations. It is estimated there are more than 200 Christian denominations in the U.S. and a staggering 45,000 globally. What I wanted to highlight is that plurality and multiplicity are part of life. Even in a religion where there is only one God and one Holy textbook, you see so many denominations. In Islam, there are so many denominations. The bigger the follower size of the religion the bigger the number of denominations. The problem occurs when you want to mix religion and politics. In Hinduism caste, sect, and religion are a complex mixture and if you add a fourth element of politics into it - it becomes a deadly combo.
It's not the BJP alone that's banking on religion or religious polarization to expand and hold its political base. The Popes had their own army. The Papal troops fought the Normans at Cvtate in 1053 and won Rome for Eugenus III in 1145. These are only two instances mentioned. The Papal State was a reality for over a thousand years that ruled territories of central Italy from 756 to 1870. Though not any great imperial power, mostly limited to central Italy. Religion could not help the Pope to establish a great empire. The same is true for the Khalifh/Caliph doesn’t rule any part of the world. Nor the Muslim countries are united. They are constantly at war with each other.
Emperor Ashoka was perhaps the first emperor to mix politics with religion. But his empire got dissolved after his death. Whereas Ashoka was one of the strongest emperors on earth. The Kalinga War alone inflicted casualties of 2.5 lakh people. Remember there were no automated weapons or weapons of mass destruction in those days and the population was much thinner. Each person had to be killed individually. Had it been today's war the casualties would have been fifty times more.
The foreign rulers ruled India for around a thousand years. The Mughals ruled for about two hundred years. All the atrocities of the Mughal emperors could convert only a small percentage of the Indians. Nor could spread its empire throughout the country. The British ruled India for another two hundred years. But the British were smart. It avoided bringing religions and caste to the forefront. Thhey knew it was a messy subject and better not highlight.
BJP came to power highlighting Hndutva. But as I said that in Hinduism caste, creed, sect, and religion are a complex mixture, and if you add a fourth element of politics into it - it becomes a deadly combo. BJP can not remove the caste element from its politics. Nor it will be able to paste supremacy of “Jai Sri Ram” over the entire Hindu population. BJP doesn’t have the power to give equality to all the Hindus. Its core support base will revolt against it. The Hindutva ideology itself will get dissolved. That's true for all fundamentalists. The hardcore Hindutva believers will never accept Vaishyas and the Sudras to have equal rights with the Brahmin and Kshatriya. The day BJP would offer to establish a caste-less society the party would get dissolved.
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