'Politics too influences the caste system’. Examine the statement.
Politics too influences the caste system and caste identities by bringing them into the political arena. Thus, it is not the politics that get caste-ridden, it is the caste that get politicised. Politics in caste takes the following forms:
(i) Each caste tries to widen its base to gain majority. Each caste group tries to become bigger by incorporating within it the neighbouring castes or sub-castes which were earlier excluded from it.
(ii) Various caste groups are required to enter into a coalition with other castes or communities, and thus enter into a dialogue and negotiation.
(iii) New kinds of caste groups have came up in the political arena like ‘backward’ and ‘forward’ caste groups.