The rise of caste in West Bengal

nIn the early three weeks of five Dalits entering Shiva Temple in the Purba Bardhaman area under police protection, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a statement about her caste in the state assembly, which was largely unnoticed. On February 18, during the debate at the conference, she emphasized that she was not only a “proud Hindu, but also the daughter of a Brahmin family.”

The focus of her caste on Trinamool’s Congress president is that it has significant significance after recent developments. The leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been urging all Hindus to unite Trinamool ahead of the 2026 General Assembly elections. The party has created a new slogan,”Hindu Hindu Worship, 2026 BJP Chai (All Hindus must unite: We want BJP in 2026).

Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari has been emphasizing the unity of all Hindus regardless of caste, and he repeatedly said that if the BJP manages to get a 5% Indian vote, it will win the 2026 poll. Mr Adhikari and other state BJP leaders have been in contact with Upper Caste Hindus, calling them “Sanatani” (people who follow eternal dharma) and accusing them of cultural attacks on them because of Trinamool’s tendency toward minority voting banks. But they also left no stones to contact the Dalits, especially the Matuas.

For example, on March 27, Mr. Adhikari walked to the headquarters of the Matua sect at 24 Parganas Thakurnagar in the north to participate in the annual festival of the sect. He praised the founding fathers of the Matuya sect for “save Hindus converted to Islam”.

So far, Ms. Banerjee has claimed to be a “proud Hindu”, organized Durga Pujas and restored and built temples, thus refuting the BJP’s Hindu push. But, given that she finally took refuge in the caste to prevent further polarization of the BJP by Hinduism, she didn’t think it was enough. That’s why Ms. Banerjee emphasized for the first time that despite her advocacy for the cause of ethnic minorities and Dalits, she came from a Brahmin family whose members organized Pujas at home. Like the Chief Minister, Mr. Adhikari belonged to the upper caste and wore his caste identity on his sleeve, insisting: “He first said he was a Sanatani Hindus and then referred to his caste”. Although the state’s population accounts for 23.5% of the program, other 16% of other backward classes, 5.8% of the program’s tribes and 27% of the ethnic minorities, all chief ministers in the state and most cabinet ministers come from the upper caste.

This show of caste identity is a new thing in West Bengal politics. It was not until a few years ago that talking about a person’s caste was considered politically prudent. Opposition to public taboos about talking about caste leads to West Bengal’s utopian conception of “unparalleled”. In Bengali Hindu Bhadralok, he mainly consists of three traditional upper castes – Brahmin, Kayastha and Baidya – a part of the dominant pop culture, art and literature in the state, deceiving himself assuming that caste is not reality. For decades, the state’s communist rule has also led to the belief that inequality originates from class rather than caste.

However, the situation began to change with groups such as Matus in South Bengal, Rajbanshs in North Bengal and Kurmis in Jagalmaha region. These marginalized groups demand more say in political decision-making, redrawing discussions about the state’s caste.

Within 10 days after the incident, held at the temple of Purba Bardhaman, the Kolkata High Court had to intervene in a similar situation on March 21, in which case the Dalits were not allowed in the temple house. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh ordered the Nadia District Court judge to direct the police chief to deploy a sufficient number of police officers to ensure that a group of Dalits who approach the court are allowed to perform certain rituals in the temple.

Therefore, neither the Chief Minister’s emphasis on her caste nor the temple incident was an isolated incident and could be brushed under the carpet. From a society hesitant to acknowledge the existence of caste, West Bengal has witnessed a new phenomenon that caste is becoming increasingly important to people’s identity and the politics of the country.