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Negative Impacts of casteism on Indian politics-

In modem Indian society, the caste-based differences are found to be spreading like cancer and AIDS-both horrible diseases. Casteism causes tension and srtife in the society. National interests are marred and conservatism gets promoted. The government works under pressure. Casteism is against the doctrines of democracy. The feeling of casteism has been on the rise since independence and all the parties seek to benefit from it. Casteism has cast the following negative impacts on Indian politics.

• Against democratic sentiments :

Casteism is against democratic sentiments. It harms democratic values like liberty, equality and fraternity and encourages disunity and narrow-minded thinking in society. 

• Promotes Vote Bank politics : 

Political parties and leaders support fair and unfair demands of a caste to make it their vote-bank and encourage them, which is fatal for the interest of the nation. Ethnic interests are given more importance over national interests.

• Damage to the sentiments of fraternity and unity :

It damages the sentiments of fraternity and unity, and enmity increases on account of conflicts of varying ethnic interests. The atmosphere of society becomes tense and full of clashes. This destroys social harmony. During the Gujjar movement in Rajasthan, there were clear differences between Meenas and Gujjars in some areas.  

• Enhance conservatism : 

Casteist thinking enhances conservation, in which scientific and progressive approaches do not get developed.

Development of modem approach gets hindered and casteism promotes traditionalism.

• Emergence of struggle and unrest :

Within the society, struggle and unrest replace peace, calm and ease. Different castes struggle for their interest. On many occasions, there is an atmosphere of unrest in the society due to the decision of the government taken under pressure. 

• Country’s governance under inept people :

To fight an election on caste considerations and voting on the basis of caste request is the result of casteism. Qualified persons/candidates lose elections on account of voting trend on caste lines and the candidate who wins the elections does not appreciate the liabilities of the society as a whole. They put their caste-loyalty on priority. This is dangerous to the country as well as to the society. The governance of the country goes into the hands of unqualified people, who, of course, cannot bring any good to the country.

• Division of reverence and devotion :

Due to casteist emotions, the reverence and devotion of citizens get divided. There is a decline in the devotion towards the country. People start giving preference to caste interests over national interests. These initiatives create obstacles in the unity and development of the country.

Formation of political parties on caste consideration :

Due to casteism, political parties are formed on caste lines. For the development of healthy democracy, political parties should be constituted on economic and political ideologies.

• Sense of insecurity in minorities :

A sense of insecurity develops among the minority castes and communities. 

Government buckles under groups pressures :

Government works under the pressures of big and powerful ethnic groups, therefore, it tries to avoid fair and impartial decisions.

• Damage to national property : 

Many a time, the movement of ethnic organisations takes violent turns, causing huge loss to national property. Industrial development and business suffer in a big way. In the course of struggle, public property is damaged.

Meaning of casteism :

 When a class is entirely based on heredity, (then) we call it a caste. Castes are such a social groups which have separated themselves from others, which have their own characteristics and marital relationship takes place only within their community, and who have a traditional business based on caste. A feeling of intense cohesion is casteism. That is, a hyper attraction of a person towards his caste, nature to think ‘self quite distinct from other castes and one’s attitude and behaviour on the basis of his caste in administrative and political domain is casteism. Because of profound attachment to his caste, a person nurtures a feeling of malice and animosity towards other castes. Casteism develops a spirit of unity and collectivism within a caste. There also develops a sense of self indulgence.

(a) Poona Pact

Four bad impacts of communalis : 

The following are four bad impacts of communalism.

• Hindrance in national unity :

Communalism damages sentiments of national unity and fraternity. The society gets discriminated and hence social equality gets sabotaged.

• Impede nation’s propress and well-being : 

After independence, many cities in India have been affected by the fire of communal riots. Because of communal events in cities, normal life gets disturbed. Obviously, it causes monetary loss and is also a burden on government exchequer, which is a great hindrance in national development and progress.

• Serious danger to national security: 

The communal clashes, which take place between minorities and majorities in India, create threats to the national security of our country.

• Innocent people get victimised in communal violence : 

Innocent women, children, the elderly slum-dwellers get victimised in communal violence. Thousands of people are killed in communal riots and thousands of homes are ransacked. Some cities as Ranchi, Srinagar, Varanasi, Aligarh, Hyderabad, Meerut, Mumbai, etc. are examples of such riots during which huge number of people got mutilated and handicapped, and besides, many deaths were witnessed in these clashes.

Four suggestions for the resolution of increasing communalism :

The following are the four suggestions in order to get rid of communalism : 

1. The government should always take care that it should not do anything which can encourage communalism. Mere promises would not do. Instead, it should enforce the ideals of equality in practical ways.

2. India is a secular country, but the education of eternal, moral values of life should be necessarily infused in all. The aim and mission of education should be to invoke sentiments of nationalism and devotion towards the nation instead of sentiments towards a specific religion.

3. No religious organisation should be provided with special incentives or facilities merely on the basis of religion, because by this, a sense of hatred does erupt in the minds of people having different religions.

4. A major cause of communalism is its benefit/ exploitation in election by politicians. Political parties encourage communalism which should be strictly prohibited.

The object of a separate electorate system was to create a spilt between upper castes and lower castes of Hindus.

The planting of selected trees and plants by the forest department in the place of trees cut is known as ‘Social Forestry’.

“Poona Pact” was signed between Gandhiji and Ambedkar

(b) Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar

‘Appiko’ means ’embrace’. To grow and protect trees and to prevent their destruction, this movement was started in Karnataka.

Indian National Army.

Subhash Chandra Bose established the forward Bloc.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is an inter-government military alliance of 29 countries from North America and Europe. It was established in April 1949. The members include its 12 original members and others who joined later. The founding countries were the USA, UK, Belgium, Canada, France, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, and Luxembourg other NATO members are Greece, Turkey, West Germany, Spain, Poland Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Albania. The last nation to join NATO in 2017 was Montenegro.

The UN Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members (5 permanent and 10 nonpermanent members). 

The permanent members include the USA, UK, Russia, France, and China. They have ‘veto’ power. Non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. Some of these members are Belgium, South Africa, Indonesia, and Germany. India has been a non-permanent member of the UNSC.

Ambedkar was a great leader who fought for the welfare of Dalits and other deprived classes of society. 

• As he was born into an untouchable caste, he had experienced the pain of untouchability. 
• He was convinced that only through constitutional meassures, the social evil of untouchability can be eradicated. 
• He launched various straggles against untouchability among which the Mahad Movement and entering the Kalaram temple of Nasik are important. 
• He edited ‘Mookanayak’ and ‘Bahikruth Bharat’ periodicals to voice the issues of Dalits, He also established ‘Bahiskrath Hithakarani Sabha.

Quit India Movement was started in protest against the failure of Cripps Commission.

Gandhiji started the non-co-operation movement in the year 1920.

The Poona Pact was signed between gandhiji and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

The Tunga river protection drive agitation started after the people realized that the river was getting polluted.

Correct answer is a) Jawaharlal Nehru

Ambedkar was born on 14th April 1891.

The US-led capitalist bloc included alliances such as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) formed in 1949 with 12 founding countries like USA, UK, Canada, France, etc., and later joined by Greece, Turkey, West Germany, Spain, Poland Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Albania. Montenegro. 

• ANZUS: (1952) comprising of Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. 
• southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO): (1954) which included Thailand, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, France, UK, US.
• Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO): (1955) which included Turkey, Iraq (Iraq withdrew in 1958), Iran (Iran withdrew in 1979), and Pakistan.

This statement is True. 

• The League of Nations which was established after the First World War failed to secure world peace and stability. 
• After the Second World War, the UN was established in 1945 to maintain world security and peace, protect human rights, and promote sustainable development.

Lala Lajpat Rai got injured in the lathi charge and died in the public demonstration held at Lahore against the Simon Commission.

1. Gopala krishna Gokhale 

2. Sabarmati 

3. 1922 

4. 1929 

5. Jayaprakash Narayan 

6. Vinobha Bhave 

7. Jawaharlal Nehru.

c) Chowri-Chowra

a) Khilafat movement

Correct Answer is: c) Poona

Correct Answer is: b) Malabar

c) Motilal Nehru

d) Gandhiji was pained by the violence

Slovakia and the Czech Republic were the two countries formed due to the splitting up of Czechoslovakia.

The process of surgery is known as Shailya Chikitsa.

Some countries under US influence were England, France, Spain, Belgium Netherlands, Greece, and West Germany.

It is written by Maharshi Shushrut in which he mentioned sharp instruments of surgery. It is called Sushrut Samhita.

The book written by Maharshi Charak in which he has mentioned over 2000 medicines is called Charak Samhita.

24 feet high from pillar weighing 7 tonnes built by Chandragupta II at Delhi. It is the best example of chemistry of India. It is called Vijay Stambh.

• Gandhiji started the civil disobedience – movement on 12th March 1930 with the historic Dandi march. 
• With selected 78 supporters, Gandhi travelled the distance of 375 kms. from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on foot. 
• Production of salt by people in violation of tax laws was the objective of this march.

(a) The Salt Satyagraha began with the historic Dandi March.Gandhiji set out from Sabarmati Ashram with 78 followers, on a 385-km journey to the coastal village of Dandi. Thousands of people joined him on the way. On his arrival in Dandi, he picked up a handful of salt from the beach. This act symbolized defiance of the salt law. It was a signal for every Indian to violate the salt law. Throughout India, people began to manufacture salt and sell it openly, 

(b) The goverment suppressed the movement with force and brutality, Gandhiji, Nehru and all other important leaders were arrested. Hundreds of people were injured or killed in lathi charges and police firing. Over 90,000 people were imprisoned. 

(c) Civil Disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil Disobedience is usually but not always, defined as being non-violent resistance. Civil Disobedience is one of the many ways people have rebelled against what they deem to be unfair laws. It has been used in many well-documented nonviolent resistance movement in India.

The Civil Disobedience Movement was started with the Salt Satyagraha in 1930

Any country either big or small, it sustains independently without harming its independence is called peaceful co-existance.

Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary had revolutions in the period 1989- 1990.

The Cold War began after the end of the Second World War in 1945. It refers to a period of intense ideological hostility, buildup of armaments, the establishment of military alliances e.g., NATO, WARSAW Pact, etc., and even proxy wars such as in Korea and Vietnam. There were many efforts from 1945 – 1991 on the part of both superpowers to bring about detente i.e., reduction of hostilities and tensions e.g., Moscow Summit (1972). However, for most of this period, the world was divided into the Capitalist bloc (led by the USA and including England, France, etc.) and Communist bloc (led by USSR and including East European nations).

There were a number of newly independent countries as well as some other Third World countries who did not want to join the military alliances of any power bloc. Through the initiative of Jawaharlal Nehru (India) and Marshall Tito (Yugoslavia), the NAM was formally established in 1961 at Belgrade. Other member countries included Ghana, Egypt, Sri Lanka. Indonesia, etc.

Non-alignment is based on two main principles: 

• independent understanding of world affairs
• peace approach.

It does not mean political neutrality or passivity but active participation in world affairs without joining any power bloc or military alliance.

(a) Meaning of detente: Detente refers to efforts to bring about a reduction in tensions between the USA and the USSR. This was an attempt by the two ‘superpowers’ themselves. The Cuban Missile Crises brought in a realization of a possible nuclear confrontation and the need to deescalate the tensions.

(b) Initiatives taken by the superpowers to reduce tensions: After the Cuban Missile Crisis, both the USA and USSR made several efforts at reducing bilateral tensions (detente).

This included:

• a hotline was set up between the main leaders of the two nations
• the signing of agreements such as NNPT, LTBT to reduce nuclear weapons
• 1972, Moscow Summit between President Nixon (USA) and Brezhnev (USSR).

Other initiatives were-

• Conference at Paris (1973) to bring the Vietnam crisis to an end.
• Helsinki conference on security in Europe (1975) was attended by 35 nations including the USA and USSR. It aimed to reduce the tensions between eastern and western European countries.
• The first joint US-Soviet space flight was the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (1975)
• The USA held a conference at Camp David in 1978 to resolve the long pending Arab-Israel dispute. The ‘Framework for Peace in the Middle East was signed between President Carter (USA) President Sadat (Egypt) and Prime Minister Begin (Israel)

After the disintegration of the Soviet Union (1991) many countries like Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were created.

Commonwealth of Independent state (CIS) was created after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. The members were the former states of the USSR. The founder members were Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Subsequent members were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. 

Common affairs were conducted on a multilateral, interstate basis. It provided a framework for military, foreign policy, and economic cooperation between members.

A. The Nawab of Junagadh

This statement is False.

• Association of South-East Asian Nations was established in 1967 by the Bangkok declaration.
• Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961 at Belgrade.

1. Peaceful Co-existence

2. Regionalism

3. Summit Meetings