Vol. 8, Issue 10, Part D (2022)

Abstract
The visible progress of the Dalits, moreover, appears impressive when compared with their own past. However, the progress of the Dalits ought to be measured in relation to the others. It is the distance between them and the others that is of relevance. If one uses this perspective, one may not be too sure about whether they made any progress. The contemporary Indian society reflects both continuity and change. The continuity with its past is reflected in its feudal caste culture and the change in its treading the path of capitalist development, which has inevitably met the neoliberal highway. The post-colonial political economy has had serious impact on the caste structure, collapsing ritualistic distinctions among the dwija castes which had adopted the capitalist mode first. Later, when the government implemented the capitalist strategy of Green Revolution, the Shudra bandwagon also got hitched to theirs. While these aspects are discussed later in. it needs to be noted here that the contemporary caste system no longer depicts its classical form, as a system of graded inequality or a continuum of hierarchy. Rather, it reflects a class-like division between the Dalits and the non-Dalits. Since the Dalits are the signifier of this division, and being at the bottom, they assume critical importance. More importantly their very existence serves as the source of psychological solace to many, who are existentially harassed by the persisting economic crisis. As such, they serve as the prop for the social status quo, holding up classisation of the society. It is important for the ruling classes that Dalits remain fragmented, mired in caste identities. They cannot afford a united Dalit grouping with a radical consciousness discarding their baggage of past attributions. The class unity of the Dalits is the biggest threat to the ruling classes of India.