The political rise of OBCs and Dalits

Other Backward Classes (OBCs) are communities, other than the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, that suffer educational and social backwardness. Many are farming and artisan castes.

In the south, backward-caste movements had been strong since early in the century. In the north, they grew later. Karpoori Thakur, Chief Minister of Bihar (1977–79), pioneered OBC reservations there.

The Mandal Commission: set up by the Janata government in 1978, chaired by B.P. Mandal. Its 1980 report recommended reserving 27 per cent of seats in educational institutions and government jobs for OBCs, along with land reform and other measures.

For ten years the report lay unused. Then, in August 1990, the National Front government decided to implement the job reservations. Violent protests broke out in many northern cities, mainly by upper-caste students; supporters held counter-rallies. The decision was challenged in court, and the Supreme Court upheld it in November 1992, with some changes (excluding the better-off OBCs, the 'creamy layer').

Dalit politics: in 1978, BAMCEF, an organisation of government employees from backward and minority communities, was formed. It led to the DS-4, and then to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), founded in 1984 by Kanshi Ram. 'Bahujan' means the majority: the SCs, STs, OBCs and religious minorities. The BSP made a breakthrough in Uttar Pradesh in 1989 and 1991, and later formed governments there.

Dalit and OBC politics often developed separately, and sometimes in competition, since these groups have different interests. Today, almost all parties support OBC reservations.