Indian Farmer Protests from the Prism of Caste Politics in Northern India
The debate of the 'Bourgeois' and 'Proletariat' in the context of India transcends 'class' and for many, it never goes beyond 'Caste'. The 'Bourgeois' is understandably mostly 'Savarna' [i] but the 'Proletariat' leadership too is primarily 'Savarna'. It is through this frame that I intend to look at the nuances of Jat caste politics and the ongoing Farmer Protests primarily which seems to be restricted to the northern belt which is dominated by Jats. Historically, the Jats are a community who primarily indulge in agriculture but along with the Khatris, which is another sub-caste within the Jat community – they are considered to be the second-highest in the ‘varna’ [ii] order – the Kshatriyas, who are supposed to be the kings and the fighters. This debate of the ‘varna’ is a very old debate – while the system was put in place to organize society and was supposed to be based on one’s qualities and yet through time as it