Dacoits exit but caste continues to thrive in Chambal

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh’s Chambal region, once the staple for Bollywood’s dacoit and gunslinger dramas, is also a massive caste cauldron where change is seeping in due to modernisation, say a section of people. The Gwalior-Chambal region, which is in the northern part of the state, borders Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and has three seats, namely Gwalior, Morena and Bhind, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes. A part of the Chambal region is in Shivpuri district and falls under Guna Lok Sabha seat. Gwalior, Morena and Bhind (SC) Lok Sabha seats are dominated by Other Backward Classes with a sizable population of SCs. Of the 24 assembly constituencies falling under these three Lok Sabha seats, the Congress had won 13 and the BJP 12 in the November 2023 elections, which was otherwise swept by the ruling party. Of the eight assembly segments of Gwalior and Bhind Lok Sabha seats, the BJP and the Congress won four each, while in Morena, the score was five in favour of the Congress and four for the BJP. The three assembly seats in Shivpuri were swept by the BJP. Bhuvnesh Singh Tomar, a professor at Centre for Studies in Journalism and Mass Communication in Gwalior’s Jiwaji University, told PTI that caste sentiments were rooted even when the Gwalior-Chambal region was infested with bandits, dacoits or “baghis” (rebels) as these outlaws loved to call themselves.

“Casteism in politics is not new. It always existed in the Chambal region, except on occasions when towering leaders, like those from the Scindia family, contested. But a lot of social changes have taken place in the past three decades due to increased road connectivity and modernisation,” Tomar said. Over the last two decades, the Dalits and backwards have become assertive and are playing a dominant role in politics, he said. “The last two Lok Sabha elections in this area were held around the narrative set by the BJP. The indication this time is not clear as campaigning is very low-key. BJP candidates were looking weak earlier as the party fielded leaders from Gwalior and Morena, who lost polls earlier,” he said. However, a strong organisational set-up and the Narendra Modi effect will benefit BJP candidates, Tomar claimed, adding that several leaders from the Congress, including sitting party MLA from Vijaypur (Morena LS seat) Ramniwas Rawat have joined the ruling dispensation. Devesh Sharma, a Morena-based lawyer, claimed caste politics had managed to segregate society, government offices, markets etc in the past three to four decades.

“Caste came first and then nationalism for the people of this region, which inspired so many films due to its ravines and bandits. These bandits used to influence politics in rural areas earlier but those days are long gone,” he said. KK Mishra, media advisor to state Congress chief Jitu Patwari, told PTI that his party will win half the Lok Sabha seats in the Gwalior-Chambal region. “Gwalior-Chambal region has traditionally supported the Congress and we will win half the seats here. The BJP knows this fact and will try to manipulate the elections through EVMs. The BJP is ahead only in publicity,” Mishra alleged. The Congress is on very strong ground as was evident in the assembly polls results, he pointed out. However, state BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi told PTI that his party would win all the Lok Sabha seats in the region. “The BJP has gone to the voters on the guarantees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the developmental works done by him as well as welfare schemes for the poor. We don’t contest on the basis of caste or religion like Congress,” he claimed. Chaturvedi further claimed that the people are aware that the Congress wants to snatch the quota of OBCs and give it Muslims on the basis of religion like they did in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The ravines along the river Chambal, which runs through Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and gives the region its name, was infested with dacoits, though the last major gang, led by Rambabu Gadariya, ended some 15 years ago. Among the blockbuster films that had Chambal and its bandit lore as base include “Sholay”, “Mera Gaon Mera Desh”, “Gunga Jumna”, “Mujhe Jeene Do” and “Bandit Queen”.