General impression that Bihar is motherland of casteist politics, is absolutely incorrect. Reality is that the last Mughal Jawaharlal Nehru laid down solid foundation of caste based politics in the country so much so that even after seven decades of freedom, country is still sunk in it. Nehru had a golden opportunity to bury casteism deep in the ground never to emerge again instead of promoting it officially. First general elections of 1952 was entirely caste based as even application forms of Congress Party for tickets had a separate column to declare caste of candidates. Central Election Committee of Congress used to decide and declare candidates for elections under Chairmanship of Nehru, a casteist to the core of his entire being. That is real persona of the man who claimed to be modern, forward looking, westernised, England educated, secular yet prided in being addressed as Panditji !!
Apart from his well-recognised dynastic genes, the last Mughal Nehru also had a pronounced nepotistic streak that rendered him obsessed with a certain set of surnames and encouraged them to hang around him. British journalist Neville Maxwell stated in his work, “An official (non-Kashmiri, non-Brahmin) who worked closely with Nehru for a time wrote that enemies of the Prime minister used to say that his search for talent and gift for talent spotting was limited to those around him and particularly to Kashmiris, and amongst them, those who were in one way or another connected with the Nehru family.” Most of appointments in 1947-48 for various cadres were done based on recommendations, contacts, influences, favours etc. completely divorced from merits of educational qualifications and relevant experience.
He also laid down foundation of anti-SC/ST policies of Congress. There is an interesting incident to be quoted here. While delivering inaugural address at a Scheduled Caste Conference in Lucknow being presided over by his Cabinet colleague Jagjivan Ram, the last Mughal Nehru pontificated that Dalits were like Gods as they had been doing all menial errands like scavenging etc. for centuries. At this Jagjivan Ram got up and snapped back that now it was the turn of castes to which Gandhi, Nehru belonged, to undertake menial jobs and become Gods !!
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