How caste, religion and opportunity will shape 2025
Hindustan Times Gurugram|January 01, 2025
This year will see a continued conversation and argument on the interplay of caste, religion and reservation that the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign and results placed on the national political stage.
Prashant Jha

This argument will take place during the Delhi and Bihar elections, in Parliament, on the streets, in the media and on social media, and among politically affiliated diaspora groups.

The relative success of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc of parties in the general elections stemmed from fracturing the broader and more inclusive Hindutva tent that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had created over the past decade.

Just as in the 2015 Bihar elections, the non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forces relied on statements emanating from the saffron camp to suggest that a Narendra Modi-led government, in its third term, wanted 400 seats to change the Constitution and scrap reservations. The Opposition supplemented this narrative with the promise of a caste census, indicating it was in favour of a proportionate distribution of resources on caste lines.

The aim was to wean the other backward classes (OBCs) and Dalits off the BJP, and frame "upper castes" as the other. The BJP first denied that it had any intent to revoke reservations. It then went on the offensive and claimed that the Congress, if elected, would take reservations away from OBCs and Dalits and give them to Muslims.

This story is from the January 01, 2025 edition of Hindustan Times Gurugram.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 01, 2025 edition of Hindustan Times Gurugram.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HINDUSTAN TIMES GURUGRAMView All
Hindustan Times Gurugram

DSP: I was prepared for Kissik and Oo Antava comparisons

As long as you don't let success get to your head, you are not bothered by the outcome,\" says composer Devi Sri Prasad, also known as DSP, who is pleased with the reception of his music for Pushpa 2: The Rule.

time-read
1 min  |
January 06, 2025
Hindustan Times Gurugram

Sparks of Trouble for Coldplay Gujarat gig!

Ahead of its highly anticipated India tour, British rock band Coldplay is making headlines again!

time-read
1 min  |
January 06, 2025
Hindustan Times Gurugram

Aubrey's husband, director Jeff Baena, dies by suicide

Actor-comedian Aubrey Plaza is mourning the loss of her husband, director Jeff Baena, who died at the age of 47.

time-read
1 min  |
January 06, 2025
Hindustan Times Gurugram

Rohit and Virat still have the hunger, says Gambhir

No one in the team will say it, but they are all surely thinking it.

time-read
3 mins  |
January 06, 2025
Hindustan Times Gurugram

Lebrun brothers, the French connection in Thakkar's rise

Manav Thakkar, India's No.2 male paddler, noticed how the Lebrun brothers, the French siblings who have taken the table tennis world by storm, would \"invent stuff\" after training sessions even as the others would wind down.

time-read
3 mins  |
January 06, 2025
Hindustan Times Gurugram

HIL route to making India return

Many sidelined from the national squad have bounced back via the league, Rohidas being a shining example

time-read
3 mins  |
January 06, 2025
Hindustan Times Gurugram

Shooter Saurabh rediscovers his touch at Nationals

For five years from 2018, Saurabh Chaudhary would hold his Morini pistol so steady and shoot with such precision that it was assumed the prodigiously talented youngster would win an Olympic medal for India.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 06, 2025
Hindustan Times Gurugram

SBI Steps Up Heat With Large Collateral-Free Study Loans

India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has begun offering collateral-free study loans of up to ₹50 lakh for students heading to top foreign universities, entering an arena dominated by top private lenders.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 06, 2025
Hindustan Times Gurugram

Guj, Andhra, Delhi Shine As Key Performers In Logistics

Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Delhi have been identified as leading performers in India's logistics sector, according to a new report.

time-read
1 min  |
January 06, 2025
Hindustan Times Gurugram

Foxconn Sees Record Revenue on AI Demand

Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker, beat expectations to post its highest-ever revenue for the fourth quarter on continued strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers.

time-read
1 min  |
January 06, 2025