Liberal Democracy and Dalits

Democracy's relationship with marginalized communities is often seen as a benevolent gesture of modernity, by which the disadvantaged communities that were hovering outside the purview of power can now be accommodated and represented in the new regime (Phillips, 1990). The modern nation builders of India acknowledged that the historically marginalized communities must have proportionate representation in the new institutions of power, and, reasonably, the erstwhile untouchables and Adivasis are identified as the new shareholders, bargainers, or participants in the nation-making process. It was recognized that accommodation and representation of the lower strata in mainstream civil and political life is crucial for India's nascent democracy. Heralding the objectives of social justice, the state became the prime force for empowerment and emancipation of marginalized communities, especially the ex-untouchable castes. Through various laws and policy mechanisms (like the reservation policy for the Scheduled Castes [SCs] and Scheduled Tribes [STs]), it was assumed that the empowerment of Dalits would soon be achieved.

In post-independence India, these communities welcomed the new constitutional state with the hope that due to their significant numbers, they may have a substantive share in power and would thus influence or determine the nature of state functioning. In this chapter, I have argued that though the politics of social justice has remained one of the major tools to imagine an empowered position for Dalits in the modern state, it is their quest to become the political ruling class that has radically emancipated them from their depressed social location. In the normal social science discourse, the Dalit movement is highlighted as a dynamic force that aspired to democratize modern institutions by ensuring sizeable participation of socially marginalized groups.