Contemporary Movements for assertion of Dalit identity

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar laid the foundation of Dalit movement in India. He was committed to annihilation of caste. He argued that the caste system must vanish for the Dalits to attain a respectable position in the society. The contemporary Dalit movements focus on assertion of Dalit identity, it has been debated whether the strengthening or Dalit identity can lead towards the annihilation of caste. These movements are characterized by: 

(i) Several leaders have electoral ambitions, thus they utilize these movements by strengthening the Dalit identity for vote bank politics, thus mobilizing Dalits for vote bank politics. 

(ii) The Dalit movements are dominated by their middle class raising issues related to identity and reservations of government jobs and political positions. Thus, Dalit movements have material benefits as their primary aim. 

(iii)There is widespread local level assertion against the practice of untouchability and discrimination. Their struggles have brought Dalits on the agenda of mainstream politics. 

(iv)These movements have highlighted the problem if the Dalits and increased awareness among the policymakers as well the people about the issues facing them. 

(v) They have also successfully built up a good deal of pressure on the ruling classes. 

Several scholars and activists feel that Dalits have been reduced to a pressure group within the mainstream politics. Identity politics provides a much needed intoxication to ignore the infirmities of the real world, thus creating a false sense of power. It obviates the complexity of their goal. These vulnerabilities, in turn, help vested interests to further prop up identities. 

The identity cobweb not only clouds the goal of annihilation of caste, but may well negate it altogether. In the short term, these dalit politicians may benefit but at the same time they will strengthen the system of inherent hierarchy of caste and gender. Further, the essence of caste is not identity but a hierarchy. Under exogenous pressure, caste feigns as identity but once the pressure is removed, it seeks hierarchy within and begins splitting. 

These movements aim to create a pan Indian identity of the Dalits, but in reality it is difficult to bring all the untouchable together because there are caste groups and hierarchies within them also. Thus, though these movements have challenged some of the deepest aspects of oppression and exploitation, but they have failed to show the way to transformation. 

These movements have led to improvement in position and status of Dalits, though their impact has been limited to a few sections of the Dalit population.