New York Times article in 1983 described the Indian middle-class as an emerging social class which is aspirational, influential and who embraced consumerism with pride. Post Independence three events that led to the poor escaping their fate to recreate their own destiny were the PSU Jobs, Land Reforms and Liberalization. The power of these events was such that the parents wanting better opportunities & lives for their children became the norm as the poor raised to middle-class.
Today, middle-class comprises of over 41% (McKinsey Report) of the population, segregated as middle-class and upper middle-class who are not only aspirational but cynical at the same time. Initially the majority of the middle-class were from upper caste and OBC, and the narrative of reservation for dalits taking away all the opportunities distanced them from the oppressed classes, they silently mocked dalits as “Reservation Class” and unfairly linked reservation to lack of quality. Eventually as dalits became more assertive and entered the middle-class using the opportunities given to them, targeting them was socially and also politically untenable.
In the late 90’s the political narrative of hindutva politics led to demonizing muslims for taking away wealth and jobs due to increase in the muslim population. The narrative of anti-reservation and anti-muslim constantly propagated by the affluent and political class made the middle-class venerable and even anti-poor. Branding social welfare schemes for the poor that once helped the middle-class escape from poverty as freebies became a common phenomenon.
As rich are getting richer and have more access to opportunities, the cynicism and anger of the middle-class is even today mostly against the poor for getting benefits & welfare schemes, though it’s an unfair argument. The mighty middle-class has slowly emerged as a formidable force to reckon with, the political parties seized the opportunity to mobilize people for agitations to further their political agenda and directing middle-class towards the hindutva politics terming it as hindu unifying factor.
The middle-class stood largely divided on the mandal commission report and as the agitations broke the new era of OBC upraise began, but eventually it died with the mandir narrative taking the centerstage, which was an attempt to leverage on hindu sentiments for pure political gains.
The secular parties are struggling to align the middle-class with narrative of progress, policies, and schemes, over the last decade the poison of hate politics has engulfed the lives of the middle-class.
The aspirational middle-class that benefitted from the PSUs, IIMs, IITs, Bank Nationalization and many welfare policies from 1947-1992, who were once the conscience keeper of the nation holding up the values of freedom struggle and the constitution, from where the strongest political leadership grew is today entangled in the hate politics.
The middle-class that has the voice and numbers should have been demanding better infrastructure, opportunity, quality education & healthcare, more financial inclusion, better administration instead has fallen into the narrative that is driving the nation towards the dark ages of hate, unrest and fascism.
Kavitha Reddy, Member KBOCWWB, www.kavithareddy.in