A Social Force in Politics (Study of Scheduled Castes of U.P.)

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Makers of modern India provided some Constitutional measures to create an egalitarian social set-up. Positive discrimination policy is one such in favour of weaker sections given to the state. The political structure of the state has had a great deal to do with the dynamics of change. Shift in the power structure is variously reflected in policies and programmes of the government.

This book focusses on the efforts of the depressed classes to gain share in the power structure. It details these efforts at organisational, mobili- zational and interactional levels by the scheduled castes in Uttar Pradesh. Their successes and failures have been critically examined.

This book also identifies weakspots and loopholes in our political mechanism which have been hindering healthy progress of emerging cognigence of their rights. After narrating the trend of an ever-increasing antagonism and equally increasing absence of tolerance in the competitive politics, the book finally suggests remedies to improve functional capabilities of our system.

Dr. M.P.S. Chandel (b. 1955) is an M. A. (Pol. Sc.), L. T. and Ph. D. (B.H.U.) and has more than a dozen research articles published on various political Issues of national and international importance.

Currently he is engaged as a U.G.C. Research Associate working on 'Emerging Patterns of Class-Conflict in Bihar Society'. He is also taking classes in the Deptt. of Political Science, B.H.U. at graduate and post- graduate levels. Besides this, his published works include a book, entitled Democratic Transformation of a Social Class.

For the students of politics of India, concern about social forces is perhaps the most important of all. The composition, origin, cultural and economic past and the present position of these forces hold immense importance in the outcome of Indian politics. Any study made on Indian subjects holds special importance to all the Third World countries because of vast and varied nature of experiments being provided by it. How- ever it is very common to speak on scheduled castes but I have chosen them with a sense to see them from the perspective and demands of the subject "Political Sociology of India". It started my quest to write this book with a dictum that no democratic nation in modern times have attempted such a profound recording of the social relations as the Republic of India since Independence. This is particularly true with reference to a large chunk of the Indian population, the Scheduled Castes which till the other day were understood to be politically important. Outcome of their behaviour pattern is a sharp visible indicator of the direction to which Indian society is to traverse. Uttar Pradesh being the most populous state, having major population of the Scheduled Castes of India holds the key to this trend. The trend is that they are not apathetic with the politics or the democratic system but at the same time they also do not hesitate from using non-constitutional, non-democratic ways to retaliate and forge their claims. U.P.'s role in giving necessary turns and twists to the politics of the country are accepted unquestionably. Thus, the importance of the analysis of its inner dynamics becomes more essential.

**Contents and Sample Pages**