Answer:
Politics
influences the caste system and caste identities by bringing them into the political
arena and the caste gets politicised.
This
takes the following forms
(i)
Each caste group tries to become bigger by incorporating within it neighboring
castes or sub-castes, which were earlier excluded from it. (1)
(ii)
Various caste groups are required to enter into a coalition with other castes
or communities and thus enter into a dialogue and negotiation. (1)
(iii)
New kinds of caste groups have come up in the political arena like 'backward'
and 'forward' caste groups.
The
positive effect of politics on caste is that in some situations, expression
of caste differences in politics give many disadvantaged communities the space
to demand their share of power. It has helped Dalits and OBC castes to gain
better access to decision-making.
The
negative effect of politics on caste is that when exclusive attention is
given to a particular caste, it leads to a negative result. It can divert
attention from pressing issues like poverty, development and corruption, e.g.,
politics based on caste identity alone is not very healthy in a democracy. In
some cases, caste division leads to tensions, conflict and even violence.
(3)
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