ABSTRACT
What eventually got into the constitution was a peculiar concept of secularism, which ironically was described by a dictum dharmanirapekshata (indifference to religion), the expression in Sanskrit, the language of the religious scriptures of Hinduism, the religion of the majority. The policy of reservations in favour of the lowest-caste Dalits was weaponised to accomplish this master-stroke. The colonial policy instituted reservations to the Dalits as a countervailing force against the social prejudice of Indian society which would never grant the Dalits their due. In the contention between the Hindus and people of other religions, the state has always taken sides with the former. Dalits contributed significantly to Modi’s victory in 2014, for the first time exceeding their votes to the Congress Party. Narendra Modi’s track record in Gujarat vis-a-vis Dalits has been far from satisfactory. Atrocities on Dalits in Gujarat had steadily risen, witnessing a 72 per cent increase in the number of registered cases between 2003 and 2018.
