BJP’s Apathy Towards Backward Classes Will Not Go Unanswered

Despite the undeniable political, social and economic significance of Backward Classes (BCs) in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s approach towards them continues to raise serious questions. BCs constitute more than half of the country’s population and form the backbone of India’s agrarian economy, informal sector, small and medium enterprises, and labour-intensive industries. Yet, their long-standing demands for social justice, constitutional safeguards and fair representation remain largely unaddressed at the national level.

According to Dundra Kumaraswamy, National President of the BC Dal, successive struggles by BC organisations across the country have failed to evoke a meaningful response from the BJP-led central government. Movements for social justice and reservations, he points out, are not new phenomena but part of a long historical process that shaped India’s democratic and constitutional framework. However, the manner in which the Centre continues to treat BC issues reflects, in his view, a deep-rooted indifference.

The hopes that sections of BC communities had pinned on the BJP after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister have largely dissipated. Kumaraswamy alleges that instead of addressing core issues, the BJP has consistently avoided taking concrete legislative steps in favour of BCs. The absence of a comprehensive BC Bill in Parliament, even after decades of debate and agitation, stands as a glaring example.

The historical opposition of the BJP and its ideological predecessors to the Mandal Commission continues to haunt its present-day claims. The protests, statements and political resistance witnessed during the implementation of Mandal reservations remain part of public memory. These episodes, Kumaraswamy argues, clearly indicate the party’s discomfort with policies aimed at redistributing power and opportunities in favour of backward communities.

One of the most persistent demands of BC groups is the establishment of a separate Ministry for Backward Classes at the Centre. While Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities have dedicated ministries, BCs — despite their numerical strength and socio-economic vulnerability — continue to be denied similar institutional support. The central government’s reluctance to explain this disparity only deepens the sense of exclusion.

Kumaraswamy further draws attention to the issue of political representation. The lack of population-based reservations has resulted in declining representation of BCs in legislatures and decision-making bodies. Even within the Union Cabinet, the number of BC ministers remains disproportionately low. This structural marginalisation, he says, has direct consequences on access to higher education, public employment and policy influence.

The Telangana government’s recent move to forward two Bills to Parliament, seeking 42 per cent reservation for BCs in local bodies, has added a new dimension to the debate. Despite the constitutional and procedural significance of these proposals, the Centre has neither initiated a detailed discussion nor provided a clear response. For BC leaders, this silence reflects a larger pattern of avoidance rather than engagement.

While BJP leaders often express verbal support for BC causes during public movements and political campaigns, their silence inside Parliament tells a different story. The contradiction between rhetoric and action, Kumaraswamy warns, will not go unnoticed indefinitely.

“BCs are not just a vote bank; they are a conscious and powerful social force,” he asserts. Continued neglect, he cautions, will eventually compel the community to respond politically. The Centre, he argues, would do well to recognise that playing games with the aspirations of backward classes comes at a cost — a cost that may be paid at the ballot box sooner than expected.

This piece has been written by a senior journalist and shared with The Mooknayak by Dundra Kumaraswamy, National president BC Dal.