This evening, I saw a news segment on Swedish TV about the upcoming elections in India (which will take six weeks to conclude!).
One thing I wasn´t aware of before is that the governing Hindu nationalist BJP (usually regarded as right-wing) actually promotes (or claims to promote) the interests of low castes and tribals. That might explain why they are the governing party in the first place...
Why haven´t we been told this before?
On YouTube, I noticed that BJP leader and prime minister Narendra Modi claims to be "OBC" (Other Backward Class), while a leading member of the opposition Congress Party accused him of actually being "General Caste" (a relatively privileged group). In his response, Modi even claimed to uphold the legacy of legendary Dalit activist Ambedkar (who is usually seen as left-wing)!
So BJP´s orientation towards the lower castes, and Modi´s exact caste identity, are certainly issues in the election, which the BJP are projected to win.
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