Political parties are currently making a strong mention of 36 communities in the Haryana election campaign.
Haryana assembly election campaign is setting the political agenda. While the BJP is trying to achieve a hat-trick of power, the Congress is desperate to end its ten-year exile. Former Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda is only saying in every rally that Congress is getting the support of ’36 communities’. BJP leaders are also talking about the interest of ’36 communities’. Not only this, 36 communities are also mentioned in village social panchayat and khapni meetings.
In caste politics in Haryana, political parties may play the Jat versus non-Jat game, but the issue is the interests and representation of the 36 communities. Congress has fielded maximum 35 Jat candidates while BJP has fielded maximum 24 OBC candidates. Thus, both BJP and Congress have selected candidates according to the political mood of the seat, but have insisted on taking 36 communities. In such a situation, the question arises that what are the 36 communities in Haryana and what is their political significance?
Where did the word brotherhood come from?
The word fraternity comes from baradar, a Persian word for brotherhood of a clan or tribe of common descent. The English word brother is derived from this, which is associated with caste and community in India. It is commonly seen that people ask each other about their caste and which community they belong to. Professor Vivek Kumar of JNU University also believes that in the Indian subcontinent the word bhaicharo is used for caste. Similarly, in Haryana, 36 communities are used for the entire society, as there are more than 36 castes.
Largest number of Jat community in Haryana
Haryana has the largest population of Jats, who fall under the general category, while in states like UP and Rajasthan, they fall under the OBC category. The Jat caste population in Haryana is about 25 to 27 percent. After this, the Dalit community constitutes 21 percent of the people, divided into various sub-castes including Ravidasi and Valmiki. OBCs constitute 30 to 32 percent of the population, with about 32 sub-castes including Gurjars, Yadavs, Saini, Prajapati, Kamboj, Kumhar, Sunar (Sonar), Lohar. The upper caste community consists of castes like Punjabi, Brahmin, Rajput, Vaishya (Bania). Apart from this, the Muslim community is also divided into different castes.
36 Community support is frequently mentioned.
Amid the political excitement of assembly elections, when a candidate goes to a village to campaign, the villagers and supporters welcome him. In such a situation, an attempt is made to convey the message that they are welcomed by the 36 communities. This is the reason why 36 communities can be heard not only in Haryana but also in western UP and Rajasthan. From Jats to Gurjars and Muslims, it is said to have patronage of 36 communities.
According to an English newspaper report, six-time former MLA and former finance minister Sampat Singh says that the talk of 36 communities is just an idiom, as Haryana has more than 36 castes. He said that in 2016 I convened a program at my home in Hisar to strengthen brotherhood among all castes and about 85 caste members participated in it. The term ’36 Baradari’ is commonly used for the brotherhood of Haryana. It is used to promote harmony in the society, it does not mean the number of castes.
What does Professor SK Chahal say on 36 fraternities in Haryana?
According to Professor SK Chahal, the Ajmer-Merwara Gazetteer (1951) mentioned the existence of 37 castes, but not 36. Medieval Persian writers, in their travelogues, mention the existence of 36 biradaris (clans or kingdoms) in North India. 36 dynasties are mentioned in the history of Rajputs. This is similar to 84 khap. This means a khap panchayat of 84 villages, but the sum of all khaps does not equal 84 villages. Similarly, the use of 36 fraternity is only an idiom, used in reference to different communities. This does not mean that there are actually 36 communities.
It is believed that in the Haryana elections, by talking about the support of 36 communities, the leaders try to project their image as leaders of the entire society. In politics it has been observed that many people prefer to keep the interests of their caste groups in mind to reach a certain vote bank. In such a situation, to get the support of the entire society, we talk about the social interest of 36 communities.
This time Congress has played a trick
In the 2014 and 2019 elections, the BJP led by Bhupendra Singh Hooda in Haryana tried to attract non-Jat votes by positioning the Congress as a Jat party. In such a situation, it is believed that the Jat vote bank in Haryana does not go with the BJP. Congress and Bhupendra Hooda talk of supporting 36 communities only to break the pro-Jat image. Congress has gambled on the support of 36 communities in Haryana by giving tickets to Jats, Dalits, OBCs, Punjabis, Brahmins and Muslims.
BJP has fielded 17 Jat candidates
Seeing the political power and importance of Jat votes in Haryana, BJP is also trying to come out of its anti-Jat image. The Jat community united and voted in favor of the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, which has hurt the BJP. BJP has fielded 17 Jat candidates in this election. Apart from this, an attempt has been made to convey the message of 36 communities by giving tickets not only to OBCs, Brahmins and Punjabis but also to two Muslims.
