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Precapitalist Community
Surely any improvement in the condition of rural women or any decisive blow against the caste system requires the breaking up of the old precapitalist community. The failure of Indian capitalism to break up such a community is the reason for the existence of khap panchayats. Actually, these caste panchayats are functioning as the modern-day ethnic blocks. They are more adaptable to m odern-day democracy and elections, even as they dictate the private and public life-styles of their members.
Surely any improvement in the condition of rural women or any decisive blow against the caste system requires the breaking up of the old precapitalist community. The failure of Indian capitalism to break up such a community is the reason for the existence of khap panchayats. Actually, these caste panchayats are functioning as the modern-day ethnic blocks. They are more adaptable to m odern-day democracy and elections, even as they dictate the private and public life-styles of their members. The brute logic of caste patriarchy is being imposed on their members and any dissident voices are being suppressed. Rather than proletarian consciousness, caste-communitarian consciousness is being strengthened at the cost of Indian democracy. This castecommunitarian block has strong sociocultural and material roots too.
C K Vishwanath
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