Dalits are collateral victims of Hindutva, says eminent French scholar

Christophe Jaffrelot says proponents of Hindu nationalism have not transcended caste differences in spite of their efforts to promote unifying sense of belonging

Christophe Jaffrelot speaks to Malini Nair of Indiaspend on the recent phase of dalit mobilisation, why it is exceptional and why right-wing politics will always have limited appeal for backward castes

After the suicide of Rohith Vemula, there has been a marked resurgence of dalit assertiveness and mobilisation. What do you see different this time? Do you see this as a stronger movement than before?

Dalit mobilisation has been experienced in several cycles in India’s modern history, not only in terms of demonstrations in the street since Ambedkar’s Mahad satyagraha in 1927, but also in electoral terms. In 1962 and 1967, the