Renu Devi's Election Breaks Gender, Caste Barriers But will She change Ground Realities?

As the Bihar election finally reached an end after an interesting battle between two major parties, Nitish Kumar was sworn-in as the chief minister of Bihar for the fourth-straight term. However, this result was more or less expected, considering the popularity of BJP, PM Modi and Nitish Kumar in Bihar. But what came unexpectedly was the appointment of Extremely Backward Caste woman leader Renu Devi as the first woman deputy chief minister of Bihar. Popularly known as ‘lambi race ki ghodi’ for her acumen as a leader, her appointment is a major achievement of the Bihar politics. It is also symbolic of empowerment of not only gender but of caste also. But the next question that arises is whether this achievement will reflect positively in the villages and streets of Bihar? Will Renu Devi’s appointment change the prevalence of caste discrimination in Bihar?

I belong to the Teli community which is an Extremely Backward Caste of Bihar. Because of the hard work of my ancestors, my family could gain social mobility from huts to a building, from low class to middle-class family and from name-calling based on our caste to possessing a respectable surname. However, the reality that we belong to the lower strand of the caste hierarchy remained the same.

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In the past, my ancestors faced name-calling, discrimination and disrespect because of their caste when they tried to make their space in the mainstream society. And today, when we have a name in the mainstream society, many people from the higher caste hate seeing our faces as the first thing in the morning. Even today they consider our caste lowly and unlucky whose presence around a high caste person will turn his good day into bad. Even today, my family addresses the high caste people as ‘Babusaheb’ and refrains from criticising and questioning them. My father, a businessman, faces name-calling, pressure and insult from high caste people just because he belongs to a backward caste. I could never tell my parents that the family purohit harassed me because he is respected by my mother for his caste.

An educator hailing from Bihar revealed how he was mocked by his high caste classmates because of his caste. “While I was in school, my classmates demeaned me, used bad words against me because they knew that I belonged to the lower caste. They weren’t comfortable with me being the lead in all the school curriculums. And facing such disrespect on the basis of my caste at a small age did not fail to pull me down.”

For a long time, I wasn't aware that caste-discrimination was a reality in my community also. Thanks to my parents and the reservation policies of the government that I had the privilege to study in good institutions of big cities. Indeed, the lower caste community is gaining social mobility through the cumulative efforts of the government and the meritorious people hailing from the community. Reservations in schools, politics, jobs have enabled an increased representation of the lower strand in the social hierarchy. And Renu Devi’s appointment is symbolic of this change. But despite the social mobility, caste discrimination continues to erode the lives of people from marginalised sections of the society.

When I asked my mother why I wasn’t questioned for my caste, she said, “That’s because your peers don’t know your caste.” More than anything else, her reply revealed how normalised caste discrimination is in our society. Does this mean that I need to hide my caste and identity to escape caste discrimination? Can I even escape caste discrimination in the administration that considers the caste certificate of a person as a valid proof of his/her identity?

Many people from the marginalised community have taken up leading positions in Indian politics earlier also. But even then we witness cases of harassment of both men and women because of their gender and caste.

Will Renu Devi write a new chapter of redefining the society, its history and the present?

“BJP might be deploying caste politics to gain the support of a particular community by appointing lower caste woman at a higher post. But it can be a positive change if she works freely towards establishing equality in society, especially in Bihar,” said the educator. While my parents said that it might not have a significant impact. "Apparently, our Prime Minister also belongs to the lower caste. Did it bring any change? Caste discrimination is like an unchangeable reality that affects the lives of common people who would prefer to bear with it rather than raise voice and be caught in a life-threatening situation," they said.

Caste politics and discrimination has been a part of the society since its inception in history. And to uproot this, there is a need for a revolutionary approach of redefining our language, history, culture and lifestyle.

Perhaps it might not be fair to expect Devi to single-handedly bring this change. But the reservations and small representations of the lower caste people will be a revolutionary step only if they lead to their equal representation. And not, if they are reduced into mere ploys to create vote banks. Renu Devi’s appointment should at least act as a means to achieve this end of encouraging more people from marginalised sections to break free of caste discrimination, dream big and achieve it without any inhibitions. It should act as a strong foundation stone of a society that is based on equality and respect.

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