August 7: Why Mandal Diwas Matters- The Legacy of the Mandal Commission Explained

Mandal Diwas, observed annually on August 7, commemorates the historic implementation of the Mandal Commission’s recommendations in 1990 by the Indian government under Prime Minister V.P. Singh, a pivotal moment in India’s pursuit of social justice.

The Mandal Commission, officially known as the Second Backward Classes Commission, was established on January 1, 1979, under the leadership of Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal, a former Chief Minister of Bihar. Tasked with identifying socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs), commonly referred to as Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the commission aimed to address systemic inequalities rooted in India’s caste system. Its report, submitted in 1980, revealed that 52% of India’s population belonged to OBCs and recommended a 27% reservation for them in government jobs and educational institutions to promote equitable representation.

This reservation was designed to complement the existing 22.5% quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), staying within the Supreme Court’s 50% cap on reservations, as established in the 1963 M.R. Balaji vs. State of Mysore case. The implementation of these recommendations in 1990 sparked widespread protests, particularly among upper-caste groups, who argued that reservations compromised merit and deepened caste divisions.

Tragically, the unrest saw extreme acts of resistance, including self-immolations by students, with Rajiv Goswami, a Delhi University student, becoming a prominent face of the anti-Mandal agitation after surviving a self-immolation attempt. Despite the backlash, the Supreme Court upheld the 27% OBC reservation in the 1992 Indra Sawhney vs. Union of India case, introducing the “creamy layer” concept to exclude affluent OBCs from benefits and ensuring that reservations remained within the 50% limit, excluding promotions. The court’s ruling solidified the legal framework for the policy, balancing affirmative action with merit-based principles.

Significance of the Mandal Diwas

The significance of Mandal Diwas lies in its recognition of a transformative step toward social justice, aiming to uplift historically disadvantaged communities by providing access to education and employment opportunities. The Mandal Commission’s recommendations extended beyond reservations, advocating for structural reforms like land redistribution and changes in production relations to address the root causes of backwardness, particularly among small landholders, tenants, and artisans from OBCs, SCs, and STs. However, these broader recommendations remain largely unimplemented, limiting the policy’s impact to a select group of educated OBCs rather than the most marginalized.

The day is celebrated by political parties, especially those with OBC support bases like the Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal, to honor the empowerment of backward classes and to reinforce their commitment to social equity. In states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Mandal Diwas serves as a rallying point for OBC mobilization, often framed against the backdrop of “Mandal vs. Kamandal” politics, where caste-based affirmative action counters religious-based political narratives, such as those historically championed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through movements like the Ram Temple agitation.

Persistent Challenges in Reservation Implementation

Despite the transformative intent of the Mandal Commission, significant challenges persist in implementing its vision, as highlighted by Kiran Kumar Gowd, the National President of the All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA). Gowd has pointed out two critical issues: the non-implementation of constitutionally mandated reservation quotas-15% for SCs, 7.5% for STs, and 27% for OBCs-in the total sanctioned faculty strength, and the massive underrepresentation in filled positions, with approximately 80% of OBC professor posts and 83% of ST professor posts remaining vacant.

“Such gross negligence in filling reserved posts is a clear indicator of institutional bias and administrative apathy,” Gowd stated, emphasizing that this failure undermines the principles of social justice and equal opportunity enshrined in the Constitution of India. He further argued that the persistent denial of representation to marginalized communities in higher education faculty positions not only violates constitutional mandates but also perpetuates systemic exclusion and inequality in academic institutions.

These stark figures, drawn from government data and RTI responses, underscore the gap between policy and practice, with only nine OBC professors appointed against 313 reserved posts in central universities and 98% of faculty in top Indian Institutes of Technology being upper-caste, according to analyses by scholars and reports in outlets like The Hindu and The Wire.

As India prepares for a historic caste-based census in 2026, the first since 1931, Mandal Diwas on August 7, 2025, has regained significant prominence, symbolizing the enduring legacy of the Mandal Commission’s push for social justice. The Union Cabinet’s decision on April 30, 2025, to include caste enumeration in the 2027 Census, as announced by Information Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, responds to decades-long demands for updated data to refine affirmative action policies, particularly for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), estimated at 52% of the population by the 1980 Mandal report.

This census, set to begin with house-listing in 2026 and population enumeration by March 2027, aims to address disparities in education, employment, and resource access, as highlighted by Poonam Muttreja of the Population Foundation of India. The move has reignited debates, with opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi advocating for proportional representation and parties like the Samajwadi Party and JD(U) leveraging Mandal Diwas to mobilize OBC voters.

However, concerns persist about potential social polarization and classification challenges. . Mandal Diwas, commemorating the 1990 implementation of OBC reservations, underscores the ongoing struggle for equity, amplified by the upcoming census’s promise of a data-driven approach to social justice, though critics warn of political exploitation and the risk of deepening caste divisions.