KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress’ spectacular win in the West Bengal polls could be a case study of how a party could prevent massive consolidation of Hindu votes in a state having a 30% Muslim population.
The ruling Trinamool worked on various caste, sub-caste and linguistic groups and also nursed the Bengali sub-nationalism sentiment against BJP’s majoritarian approach to counter-polarize Hindu votes. The BJP strategy worked in pockets but could not give it the push to attain the magic number.
Sociologist and Presidency University’s former head of sociology and political science departments Prasanta Roy said not all Hindus could fit into one lot, much as BJP might have strategized. “There is a degree of Hinduness in each one of us. A section of them is rational and calculative. Not all are Hindus at all costs. They saw everything and took an informed decision,” he said.
»In TMC vs BJP Bengal Fight Over Matuas, the Rise of a Community and Its Caste Assertion
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In TMC vs BJP Bengal Fight Over Matuas, the Rise of a Community and Its Caste Assertion
Both TMC and BJP are going all out to woo Matuas in Bengal. (File photos of Amit Shah and Mamata Banerjee)
The BJP is working to assimilate the Mauta identity into the Hindutva identity. The TMC is trying to project their identity as that of the Bengali refugee aspiring for citizenship.
Last Updated:February 06, 2021, 13:08 IST
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About 25 years ago, I was discussing caste politics in Bengal with an eminent social scientist based in Kolkata. He said, assertively, that there is no caste in Bengal. I did not confront him but started thinking about the various class-caste conflicts that have shaped social identities in Bengal.
India & NZ: A developing relationship Tuesday, December 15, 2020 Graeme Acton
Since 2012, Professor Sekhar Bandyopadhyay has worked to build bridges between New Zealand and India in his role as director of the New Zealand India Research Institute (NZIRI), and Victoria University in Wellington.
The institute’s research is invaluable to policymakers and academics looking at the development of ties between the countries, and where the relationship is heading in the coming decades.
Professor Bandyopadhyay recently stepped back from his position as director at the NZIRI, and say down with the AMC to discuss the developing India-NZ relationship.
Q. Do New Zealanders know enough about India, and how well do you think the Kiwi population understands modern India?