economicanalysisandto lookto [VladimirIlyich]Lenin
forthestrategyandtacticsofrevolutionarypolitics. I
don’twantto underrate theimportance of Lenin,butI do
wantto emphasisethatMarxis theseminalfigurein the
conceptionofpoliticsitself,a practisingrevolutionary
andthefoundingphilosopherof working-classpoliticsas
such.Thegreattradition of theintellectual-activistin the
historyoftheLeftis modelled directlyonthelifeand
workof Marxhimself.THE CASTE FACTORIn the socialcontextof India,somecriticiseMarxismfor
its “classblindness”and “Eurocentrism”and for not
payingenoughattentionto the phenomenonof caste.
This criticismis levelledagainstthe communist
movementstoo. How wouldMarxismdeal with the
questionof caste?How do you evaluatethe
performance of the Left movementin carryingforward
the agendaof casteannihilation?
I dobelievethatthequestionofclassrevolution in
Indiapassesthroughthecastequestionandthatno
socialistrevolutionis possiblein Indiawithouttheanni-
hilationof caste.In this[B.R.]Ambedkar wasright in his
insistenceonannihilationratherthanreform.Hewas
rightin arguingthattheCPI[CommunistPartyof India]
hadnotreallyunderstoodhowmuchcastehadbeen
historically thekeyto classformationandthemakingof
dominantideologies inIndia, andhewasrightinhis
deepdislikeofGandhi’scynicismandopportunismon
thisquestion.It is alsofairto say, I think,thatforallthe
upheavalsthatIndiahaswitnessed in theclassandcaste
structuressinceIndependence,a certainbroadcorrela-
tionbetween casteandclasshaspersisted.Theseground
realitiesshouldthenbeconnectedwithotherkindof
complexities, however. Themuchhigherratesof capital-
istexpansion in post-Independence India andthenewly
installedcapitalo-parliamentaryrulingsystemservedto
openupgreatareasof socialmobilityforcertain selected
fractionsofthemiddleandeventhemostoppressed
castes.Thisinvolvedelectoral tokenismbutalsogreat
manystate initiativesrangingfromtherelatively modest
landredistributionschemesandtheGreen Revolutionto
thepolicyofreservations,etc.,whichgreatlybenefited
themiddlecastesbutalsosomesectionsof Dalitsas well.
Allof thishascreatedsomecaste-basedelites,local
power brokers andvarious kindsofupwardlymobile
strata, whilecasteitselfhasemergedasa keypolitical
categoryin theparliamentarysystemaswellasin most
other spheresofsociety.Verymuchmorethanclass,
actually!Forinstance,whowouldeverinsistonreserva-
tionof seatsfortheworking classin schoolsandcolleges
andstateemploymentorin statelegislaturesortheLok
Sabha?Castehasa differentkindofprimacyinthe
politicsoftheliberalbourgeoisieitself.Inthispolitical
sphere,theissuehasbeencapturedmainlybythenew
elitesarisingoutof thosemiddleandoppressedcastes.
Thebigbourgeoisparties,fromtheCongressto theBJP,
havetheirownhighlycynicalwaysof manipulatingtheAFTERA FRENCHAIRSTRIKEon the southern
outskirtsof Benghaziin north-easternLibya in March
2011, targetedat loyalists of MuammarQaddafi. The West
has wageda brutalwar againstMuslimpopulationsover a
vast swatheof the globe whiletaking advantageof Islamic
fundamentalismwhenit suits its interests.
REUTERSrelevant?Why Marx?
Well,thequestionyouhaveaskedis so important but
alsosoverybroadthatI amleftmoreorlessspeechless.
So,letmesimplyrecallsomething[Jean-Paul]Sartre
saidmorethanhalfa centuryago.Inthebook-length
introduction to hisCritique of DialecticalReason,Sartre
commentsthatMarxismis theunanswerablescienceof
thecapitalist mode ofproductionandit willtherefore
remain theultimate horizonforallthinking solongas
capitalismlasts.That,I think,is thecruxof thematter.
ButSartrealsosaidthatMarxism is byitsverynaturean
unfinishedandunfinishableknowledgebecauseas a sci-
enceof theexistingworldthatkeepsonchangingMarx-
ismtoois nota staticbuta dynamicknowledge, always
updatingitself,renewingitself,changingitselfbecause
thematerialworld,theobjectof itsknowledge,is always
caughtupinthewhirlwindsof change.Inotherwords,
Marxlivesamong usintwoformsofexistence:inthe
grandeuroftheworkthathehasbequeathedusashis
legacyandthenin theintellectualandpoliticalcontribu-
tionof thosegenerationsof Marxistswhohavebuiltupon
thatlegacy.
Letmeaddsomething else,though.Thegreatnessof
Capitalis sooverwhelmingthattherehasdevelopeda
tendencyto lookto Marxfor principles andmethodsfor