FOLLOWING the Allahabad High Court directive seeking removal of caste displays in public, the Uttar Pradesh government issued a government order late Sunday night prohibiting “caste-based political rallies”, calling them a threat to “public order” and “national unity”.
The move is expected to have political implications ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with all UP-based parties drawing their strength from specific caste groups.
The UP government order also coincides with the first ever caste count to be held in the country since 1933, in the coming Census, which followed a long agitation led by the Opposition, especially the Congress, seeking the same.
As news spread of the government order, parties struggled to frame a response, including BJP allies NISHAD Party, Apna Dal (S) and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), which are also caste-specific organisations.
The order, issued by officiating Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar to all district magistrates, secretaries and senior police officers across the state, cited the September 16 Allahabad High Court order, and said: “Caste-based rallies organised for political purposes promote caste conflict in society, are contrary to public order and national unity. They are strictly prohibited in the state of Uttar Pradesh.”
While NDA partner NISHAD Party’s name signifies the caste it draws support from, i.e. the Nishads or the fishermen and boatsmen community in the state, the Apna Dal (S)’s base are the Kurmis, especially Patels in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and the SBSP claims to cater to the Rajbhars, Kushwahas etc.
Muted in response compared to their counterparts in Opposition parties, a NISHAD Party leader said: “We are trying to understand the government order and how it will be implemented. Political parties like us, which are completely based on upliftment of deprived castes, how can we do it if we can’t even mention them? And, why should we hide our caste? Why give caste-based certificates then?… Who will define what are the criteria on the use or misuse of castes?”
The NISHAD leader added that the first test of the government resolve would be the coming rally of BSP chief Mayawati. The party, whose vote base are the Dalits, particularly Jatavs, is planning a big rally after a long time, on October 9, to mark the death anniversary of its founder Kanshi Ram. The BSP was silent on the court order Monday.
Questioning the government order, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on X: “… What is to be done to eradicate the caste discrimination that has been entrenched in minds for 5,000 years?… And what is to be done to eliminate the caste discrimination arising from caste displays through clothing, attire and symbolic markers? Or to end the caste-discriminatory mindset of asking about ‘caste’ upon meeting (someone)?
Hinting at reports that the Chief Minister’s residence was cleaned with Gangajal in 2017 before Yogi Adityanath moved in, Akhilesh added: “… And what measures will be taken to put an end to the caste-discriminatory thinking of (cleaning) house? Or to terminate the conspiracies filled with caste discrimination that involve defaming someone by leveling false and humiliating accusations?”
Another leader of the SP, Udaiveer Singh, said: “The bigger question is how the BJP government will clear its caste-based mindset first.”
The leaders of the SP and Congress also denied holding “caste rallies”, adding that it is the BJP that has now taken the lead in playing caste politics. Congress UP president Ajay Rai said: “We never do any caste-based rallies. In fact, the BJP promotes caste-based politics the most. The RSS has caste-based representatives.”
Rai added that it remains to be seen how the order will be implemented, and if it ends up “turning into another mechanism to harass the Opposition”.
Opposition leaders also talked about the blatant “balancing of castes” in Cabinet formation, including under the BJP government.
BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said the government was only carrying out the Allahabad High Court’s orders, as per its “constitutional responsibility”. Tripathi added: “While caste is a reality and one should take pride in one’s caste, inciting people based on caste, misbehaving with others because of caste or purposely flaunting caste to incite is wrong, and stopping it is the intention of the government.”
BJP allies in Maharashtra, which has been grappling with a Maratha quota demand for the past few years, questioned the UP government’s order regarding caste rallies.
Brijmohan Srivastav, NCP chief national spokesperson and national general secretary, said: “I do not know what the prayer in the Allahabad High Court was. But in India, caste and caste-based politics are an inseparable part of society. This order will create problems for the administration as well. Those affected by this must appeal and present their side so that freedom of expression can be protected.”
Shaina NC, the national spokesperson of the Shiv Sena (Shinde), took a more cautious line. “Different things work for different states. I can’t comment on the court order, but when it comes to caste-based rallies, you have to also take into account what police say, since they have to maintain law and order. Our view is that agitations are welcome, but not anti-national rallies. And all agitations must respect constitutional values.”
Apart from barring caste-based rallies, the 10-point directive issued by the government on Sunday evening prohibits “caste-based markings in police records as well as public display of caste-based signs”, with the aim “to eliminate caste-based discrimination”. The only exception is for crimes registered under the SC/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Vehicles bearing caste names, slogans and stickers would face action under the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
The directive asks authorities to correspond with the National Crime Records Bureau to delete the column mentioning an accused’s caste in the format used on the CCTNS portal. Signboards or announcements glorifying caste and declaring geographical areas as caste areas or estates are to be removed and steps taken to ensure none are put up in the future, while social media messages glorifying or denigrating caste are to be monitored, with those guilty of the same to face strict action.
In its order on September 16, the Allahabad High Court directed the UP Home Department and DGP to frame and implement standard operating procedures by amending police manuals/regulation, if necessary, to prohibit caste disclosure in all police documents, barring cases lodged under the SC/ST Act.
Frowning upon the tendency “in rural India, suburban towns” of “certain disgruntled elements driven by false caste pride and caste narcissism” to install signboards glorifying caste or declare areas as caste territories, it said the government should remove those.
The court also expressed concern about “caste-based political rallies, glorification of caste in TV debates, caste-based songs… caste-based leadership, and caste-based congregations”, saying these were “undermining the very spirit of constitutional morality and anti-discrimination provisions of the Indian Constitution”. “Even matrimonial ads in newspapers and online portals openly mention caste preferences, reflecting deep social conditioning.”
An SP leader was more sanguine, saying parties will easily find a way around the order. “Caste ko samaj se toh nikal nahin sakte. Bas, ‘Vishwakarma Samaj Sammelan’ ki jagah ‘Vishwakarma Bhagwan ke Samman Mein’ sabha hogi. Torh to nikal hi aayega (One can’t remove caste from our society. Only, now instead of calling a meeting ‘Vishwakarma Society Meeting’, people will hold ‘Meeting in Honour of Vishwakarma God’. A solution will emerge).”