The state in the palli: Dalit perspectives on the state in Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

In this paper I examine Dalit attitudes towards the state in Andhra Pradesh. In this part of India, Dalit lives and physical surroundings are quite literally shaped by the state and encounters with state officials in various guises are frequent. I argue that Dalits' dealings with the state have led them to a view which is essentially pragmatic: they see the state in terms of what they can extract from it. While their experiences with local bureaucracy are often frustrating and sometimes humiliating, they nevertheless regard the state as a resource which potentially can be tapped for their advance. Indeed, in light of the disintegration of patronage and heightened caste conflict, they are forced to turn to the state for assistance. The conflict between the two major Dalit castes themselves and between Dalits and the dominant castes over reservations also shows how central state resources are to Dalits' sense of identity. Contrary to much of the literature, then, I suggest that many of the most marginalised believe the state can assist their advance and demand that their political representatives harness state power to work in their interests.

Keywords:

• Dalits
• state
• reservations
• Andhra Pradesh

Notes

 1. Fieldwork was conducted over a period of 16 months in 2004–2005 and 2009, during which time I lived in a Madiga household within the Dalit colony of Nampalli. In addition to participant observation, my methods included a survey of all Dalit households in the village, a village map, structured interviews among all caste groups, individual and group interviews among Dalits, the collection of genealogical data and use of government village records. Nampalli is comprised of approximately 288 households, Dalits (Malas and Madigas) make up about one third of the total village population.

 2. Palli is the colloquial Telugu word used to refer to the area of a village in which Dalits reside. It is equivalent to ‘cheri’ in Tamil or ‘basti’ in Hindi. Telugu-speaking people generally specify which Dalit caste lives in which area by affixing the caste name to the word palli so, for example, the area in which Madigas live is known as ‘Madigapalli’.

 3. The office of the village-level government council.

 4. The Andhra Pradesh government states that between 2005 and 2007, 279,000 houses were built in the state under this scheme and they intended to complete 600,000 houses by the end of 2009.

 5. I am grateful to David Mosse for this point.

 6. These shops are part of India's Public Distribution System (PDS), a national system which aims to ensure food security for the poor.

 7. Designed for those over 60 who are unable to work.

 8. This is just 1 of 13 qualifiers for BPL benefits (See Alkire and Foster 2008).

 9. See Corbridge et al. (2005, 275) for a description of DWCRA. In Andhra Pradesh, Manor reports a proliferation of these groups from 1997 to 2004 under the TDP. ‘Government statements indicate that there were roughly 370,000 by 2001 … and 475,646 by 2004. The official estimate of the number of members of such groups by 2004 was 6.54 million’ (Manor 2006, 24).

10. The Rajiv Arogyasri Bheema (Rajiv Health Policy), which allows those classified as Below Poverty Line to use any super speciality hospital.

11. Village president.

12. Dalit leaders of the Dalit Maha Sabha and Madiga Reservation Porata Samini in Andhra Pradesh.

13. Under the National Old Age Pensions (NOAPs) scheme, pensioners above the age of 65 who are without means of subsistence can access Rs. 200 each per month.

14. According to the 2001 census, Andhra Pradesh had the sharpest decrease in population growth in India. In Andhra Pradesh, more than half of married women have been sterilised, and in 2001 alone 814,061 sterilisations were performed. Women in Nampalli report being paid Rs. 500 for the operation and given other incentives such as saris. There is little official documentation of this, although the government does compensate couples for lost earnings and gives sterilised couples priority for anti-poverty benefits such as housing, loans and house plots (Dugger 2001).

15. In Andhra Pradesh, reservations for the Backward Classes stand at 15% for the Scheduled Castes (SC), 6% for the Scheduled Tribes (ST), 25% for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and a proposed 5% for Muslims (Engineer 2004), bringing the total reservation in government employment and education to 51%. There was a proposal to increase the reservation in these institutions to 49.5%, but it was quashed by the Supreme Court in March 2006 by an order which held the current OBC reservation at 27% (Chaudhury 2004).

16. This split is still disputed, however, and was recently overruled by the Supreme Court in accordance with the Constitution. For more on the sub-division of the SC reservation category, see Balagopal (2000, 2005), Sankaran (1998), Venkata Siva Reddy (2002).