Identity is not always destiny

A simple tweet, all of 140 characters, can be hazardous to one’s health as I have discovered to my cost yet again. Last Sunday, as Narendra Modi went in for his first Cabinet expansion, I tweeted: “Big day for my Goa. Two GSBs, both talented politicians, become full cabinet ministers. Saraswat pride!” I was referring to the induction of Manohar Parrikar and Suresh Prabhu in the Union Cabinet. Rather than see my tweet as a statement of fact, I was accused of being casteist and worse. Typical of the noxious side of social media, I was barraged with abuse and hate mail.

“GSB” refers to the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, a tiny, but highly progressive community of fish-eating Brahmins that I belong to which nestles along the Konkan coast, across Maharashtra, Goa, through to parts of Karnataka.

nevada wrote:No matter what the intention, it is politically incorrect to publicly flaunt caste in India - unless you are a SC/ST. It was a poor choice of words by Rajdeep.

Idéfix wrote:The fact is that Sardesai's message had a casteist tone to it.

Ponniyin Selvan wrote:

He assumes that if a Yadav or a Dalit gets into the ministry it is because of his caste while other Saraswat Brahmins get into the cabinet it is because of merit.

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

Ponniyin Selvan wrote:

He assumes that if a Yadav or a Dalit gets into the ministry it is because of his caste while other Saraswat Brahmins get into the cabinet it is because of merit.

That's how cabinets get defined - to appease electorally significant segments. When someone with no electoral benefit gets appointed,  it's fair to assume there was some other consideration. He assumes it is merit (given the IIT backgrounds) and that doesn't make him casteist. If you has a better explanation for the induction of those two, pls share it.  

confuzzled dude wrote:

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

Ponniyin Selvan wrote:

He assumes that if a Yadav or a Dalit gets into the ministry it is because of his caste while other Saraswat Brahmins get into the cabinet it is because of merit.

That's how cabinets get defined - to appease electorally significant segments. When someone with no electoral benefit gets appointed,  it's fair to assume there was some other consideration. He assumes it is merit (given the IIT backgrounds) and that doesn't make him casteist. If you has a better explanation for the induction of those two, pls share it.  

While I agree with you that a portion of the cabinet selection is to appease certain segments of the population, but I wonder, in this case whether dormant Brahmin supremacist view had more to do with his tweet. Till our generation, majority of the Brahmins used to look down at other caste people as uneducated country bums (which was true as majority weren't educated). Would he have expressed similar view in late '40s or '50s when Nehrus, Gopalacharis, Radhakrishnans, Praksham Pantulus and PVNs were ruling the roost? About your other point about merit, personally I do not believe that IIT or Harvard educated individuals make good politicians in India unless they came up through the ranks, otherwise they're clueless and completely devoid of ground realities, you don't need to look farther than Subramanian Swamy, Jairam Ramesh or Tharoors of the world.

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

Ponniyin Selvan wrote:

He assumes that if a Yadav or a Dalit gets into the ministry it is because of his caste while other Saraswat Brahmins get into the cabinet it is because of merit.

That's how cabinets get defined - to appease electorally significant segments. When someone with no electoral benefit gets appointed,  it's fair to assume there was some other consideration. He assumes it is merit (given the IIT backgrounds) and that doesn't make him casteist. If you has a better explanation for the induction of those two, pls share it.  

confuzzled dude wrote:

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

Ponniyin Selvan wrote:

He assumes that if a Yadav or a Dalit gets into the ministry it is because of his caste while other Saraswat Brahmins get into the cabinet it is because of merit.

That's how cabinets get defined - to appease electorally significant segments. When someone with no electoral benefit gets appointed,  it's fair to assume there was some other consideration. He assumes it is merit (given the IIT backgrounds) and that doesn't make him casteist. If you has a better explanation for the induction of those two, pls share it.  

While I agree with you that a portion of the cabinet selection is to appease certain segments of the population, but I wonder, in this case whether dormant Brahmin supremacist view had more to do with his tweet. Till our generation, majority of the Brahmins used to look down at other caste people as uneducated country bums (which was true as majority weren't educated). Would he have expressed similar view in late '40s or '50s when Nehrus, Gopalacharis, Radhakrishnans, Praksham Pantulus and PVNs were ruling the roost? About your other point about merit, personally I do not believe that IIT or Harvard educated individuals make good politicians in India unless they came up through the ranks, otherwise they're clueless and completely devoid of ground realities, you don't need to look farther than Subramanian Swamy, Jairam Ramesh or Tharoors of the world.

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

Ponniyin Selvan wrote:

He assumes that if a Yadav or a Dalit gets into the ministry it is because of his caste while other Saraswat Brahmins get into the cabinet it is because of merit.

That's how cabinets get defined - to appease electorally significant segments. When someone with no electoral benefit gets appointed,  it's fair to assume there was some other consideration. He assumes it is merit (given the IIT backgrounds) and that doesn't make him casteist. If you has a better explanation for the induction of those two, pls share it.  

While I agree with you that a portion of the cabinet selection is to appease certain segments of the population, but I wonder, in this case whether dormant Brahmin supremacist view had more to do with his tweet. Till our generation, majority of the Brahmins used to look down at other caste people as uneducated country bums (which was true as majority weren't educated). Would he have expressed similar view in late '40s or '50s when Nehrus, Gopalacharis, Radhakrishnans, Praksham Pantulus and PVNs were ruling the roost? About your other point about merit, personally I do not believe that IIT or Harvard educated individuals make good politicians in India unless they came up through the ranks, otherwise they're clueless and completely devoid of ground realities, you don't need to look farther than Subramanian Swamy, Jairam Ramesh or Tharoors of the world.

Ok,  why is Arun Jaitley in the cabinet?

confuzzled dude wrote:

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

Ponniyin Selvan wrote:

He assumes that if a Yadav or a Dalit gets into the ministry it is because of his caste while other Saraswat Brahmins get into the cabinet it is because of merit.

That's how cabinets get defined - to appease electorally significant segments. When someone with no electoral benefit gets appointed,  it's fair to assume there was some other consideration. He assumes it is merit (given the IIT backgrounds) and that doesn't make him casteist. If you has a better explanation for the induction of those two, pls share it.  

While I agree with you that a portion of the cabinet selection is to appease certain segments of the population, but I wonder, in this case whether dormant Brahmin supremacist view had more to do with his tweet. Till our generation, majority of the Brahmins used to look down at other caste people as uneducated country bums (which was true as majority weren't educated). Would he have expressed similar view in late '40s or '50s when Nehrus, Gopalacharis, Radhakrishnans, Praksham Pantulus and PVNs were ruling the roost? About your other point about merit, personally I do not believe that IIT or Harvard educated individuals make good politicians in India unless they came up through the ranks, otherwise they're clueless and completely devoid of ground realities, you don't need to look farther than Subramanian Swamy, Jairam Ramesh or Tharoors of the world.

Ok,  why is Arun Jaitley in the cabinet?

Not sure If I understood your point. I've said this before about Jaitely, to make someone who lost elections a cabinet minister is a bad idea.

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

That's how cabinets get defined - to appease electorally significant segments. When someone with no electoral benefit gets appointed,  it's fair to assume there was some other consideration. He assumes it is merit (given the IIT backgrounds) and that doesn't make him casteist. If you has a better explanation for the induction of those two, pls share it.  

While I agree with you that a portion of the cabinet selection is to appease certain segments of the population, but I wonder, in this case whether dormant Brahmin supremacist view had more to do with his tweet. Till our generation, majority of the Brahmins used to look down at other caste people as uneducated country bums (which was true as majority weren't educated). Would he have expressed similar view in late '40s or '50s when Nehrus, Gopalacharis, Radhakrishnans, Praksham Pantulus and PVNs were ruling the roost? About your other point about merit, personally I do not believe that IIT or Harvard educated individuals make good politicians in India unless they came up through the ranks, otherwise they're clueless and completely devoid of ground realities, you don't need to look farther than Subramanian Swamy, Jairam Ramesh or Tharoors of the world.

Ok,  why is Arun Jaitley in the cabinet?

Not sure If I understood your point. I've said this before about Jaitely, to make someone who lost elections a cabinet minister is a bad idea.

Sure. So why did politically astute Modi pick this electoral turkey?