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The attempts to replace the word ‘Dalit’ with ‘Bahujan’ and the recommendation of Delhi University standing committee on academic matters for removing three books by Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd from the postgraduate political science syllabus, raise disturbing questions. Mukesh Kumar Bairva explores the issues and the politics surrounding these decisions

In his forthcoming book, ‘RSS aur Bahujan Chintan’, to be published by Forward Press, Kanwal Bharti exposes the double-faced RSS and its attempts to co-opt Ambedkar. He does so while reviewing booklets published by the organization as part of its Rashtriya Jagran Abhiyan. Here, Kanwal Bharti introduces the book

Forward Press will publish shortly the book ‘Bihar ki Chunavi Rajniti: Jati-Varg ka Samikaran (1990-2015)’, which sheds light on the various facets – caste, religion, poverty, political aspirations – of the politics of post-Mandal Bihar. Time and again, Bihar has determined the direction of national politics

Muktibodh was a leading Marxist poet and critic. He has vehemently attacked class-based society and literature, but an awareness of caste differentiation is completely missing in his perspective. At times, he even appears to be supporting it. Kanwal Bharti analyses Muktibodh’s critical judgment

The UNDP recently released a report that said some 271 million Indians had escaped ‘multidimensional poverty’ in just ten years. But the latest data pertaining to SCs and STs, available in the public domain, tells a different story, says Ashesh Swar

The Bahujan struggle aims at ending Brahminism and establishing a just society based on liberty, equality and fraternity. But there are various views on what is Brahminism and how is it related to the Hindu religion. Siddharth on how Dr Ambedkar saw Brahminism.

Having been reduced to the implementing agencies of government programmes, Panchayati Raj Institutions haven’t lived up to their promise. However, panchayats led by Bahujan representatives offer a glimpse of what governance from the bottom up can achieve. Zeeshan Husain reviews the book ‘Panchayati Raj’

As Ambedkar wrote, it is brahmanical patriarchy that keeps the caste system intact. Today, with women becoming educated and choosing their own husbands, patriarchy is being challenged, caste divisions are being crossed and, unfortunately, honour killings are on the rise. But if India wants to put the caste system behind it, the government needs to do it all it can protect the inter-caste couples and be firmly on their side, writes Lokesh Kumar

Does the RSS consider the Christians and the Muslims as its enemies because people of these faiths ruled over the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas for hundreds of years? No, absolutely not. Had this been the reason, the RSS would have treated the varna system as its weakness and launched a movement to end it