Dear Reader,
Few stories illustrate the irony of the struggle for equity in the Indian subcontinent as vividly as the life of Jogendranath Mandal (1904-1968). No, we are not referring to the author of the controversial Mandal Commission Report, which is Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal. Jogendranath Mandal was born in Barisal, Bengal, in 1904. He overcame many obstacles to get an education, studying law at the University of Calcutta and becoming a successful lawyer. He was also a prominent social activist who fought for the rights of Dalits and other underprivileged groups. In the 1940s, Mandal ventured into the political landscape of the Indian subcontinent. He joined the ranks of the All-India Muslim League and lent his support to the call for a separate Muslim homeland. He believed a Muslim nation would provide a more just and equitable society for all its citizens, regardless of caste or religion, than the caste Hindus governing India.
Following the partition of India in 1947, Mandal took on a role in the inaugural cabinet of Pakistan. He was appointed the Minister of Law and Labour. As a cabinet minister, Mandal was dedicated to advancing social justice and equality within Pakistan and played a pivotal role in formulating the nation’s constitution.
However, Mandal’s optimism waned, and he soon grew disillusioned with the Pakistani government. He felt the government was ignoring the concerns of minority communities, including the Dalits, and observed an escalating authoritarian streak in the administration. In 1950, Mandal resigned and relocated to India.
Mandal was not readily accepted by parties here, and finally became a leader of Ambedkar’s Republican Party, which represented the interests of Dalits. He continued to work as a social activist and fought for the rights of Dalits and other underprivileged groups, mainly refugees from East Bengal. But even in India, Mandal was a disappointed man. He felt equality for Dalits was a faraway dream under the hegemony of caste Hindus. (The Decline of the Caste Question: Jogendranath Mandal and the Defeat of Dalit Politics in Bengal, by Dwaipayan Sen, published by Cambridge University Press, 2018).
Mandal’s narrative poignantly illustrates that justice remained elusive for the lower castes in this region, whether Pakistan or India, and that their pursuit of a fair share would be an enduring struggle. Mandal passed away in 1968 at the age of 64, more than two decades before the Mandal Commission, headed by B.P. Mandal, a Yadav from Northern Bihar’s Madhepura, reshaped India’s socio-political landscape in the early 1990s, releasing the latent caste dynamics of the country. The repercussions of this momentous shift in Indian politics are well known.
Today, building on the Bihar caste survey commissioned by the Nitish Kumar government, caste is again emerging as a central theme in the political discourse, challenging the BJP’s Hindutva unity narrative in various ways. With the Congress endorsing the survey and hinting at its nationwide implementation, the Mandal versus Kamandal debate is poised to reignite caste politics in the country, especially with the impending General Election in 2024.
In the light of these developments, Frontline revisits the caste question. The bouquet opens with this comprehensive essay by Anand Mishra. We invite you to look at it, share your thoughts and join us in this important debate.
Wishing you a meaningful week ahead,
Team Frontline
