Caste divisions come to the fore in state

It was in 1996 that the desecration of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue took place in Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar of Mumbai. In the aftermath of 9 Dalits being killed in police firing, Pramod Mahajan, then among the mightiest of the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, had to bite the dust in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. Today's Bharatiya Janata Party government has not forgotten this history; hence, the kid-gloved treatment of Dalit protesters who took to the streets of Mumbai yesterday.

As DNA wrote yesterday, the caste equation at play in this issue is quite complex, forcing CM Devendra Fadnavis to walk a tightrope, ensuring the balance is not disturbed. Violence in Una led to the emergence of Jignesh Mevani's leadership in Gujarat. Fadnavis has an envious task at hand: not only does he have to ensure Dalits don't feel marginalised, but he must also ensure the politically sensitive Maratha community is not angered.

The Dalit movement in Maharashtra has been rudderless over the last few decades. There have been attempts to put them all together under one roof but with leaders' egos being taller than Mount Everest, that has not happened. A Jignesh Mevani from Gujarat cannot achieve that. Kanshi Ram and Mayawati tried to remote control the Dalit movement from Uttar Pradesh, but failed.

The bigger fear today is that a deepening caste divide leading to more such incidents over the next few years will destroy Maharashtra's social fabric. Political parties, tragically, are trying their best to encash the anger in both communities. In the process, Maharashtra, once known as the most progressive state, has lost its way.