Sainthwar

Last updated

The Sainthwar, or Mall, is an Indian caste native to the Uttar Pradesh state. [1] An offshoot of the Kurmi caste, [2] [3] they claim Kshatriya status. [4] [5] Under the Indian government's reservation system of positive discrimination, the Sainthwars are classified as a "Backward" or Other Backward Class (OBC) [6] [7] under the term "Kurmi-Sainthwar/ Kurmi-Mall". [8]

Contents

History

Sainthwars originated as a well-off section of the Kurmi caste that broke away to form a new caste and claimed higher ritual status in the caste hierarchy. [2] A dominant landholding caste in some districts of Uttar Pradesh, [9] [10] and reputed to be "industrious" peasants, [11] they came to be known as "Mall" ("prosperous") as opposed to the poorer Kurmis. [1]

The early censuses of British India listed the Sainthwars or Saithwars as a sub-division of the Kurmis in Gorakhpur and Benaras regions. [12] [13] The 1911 Census listed the Sainthwars as a separate caste, mainly because of the political rise of the Sainthwar princely family of Padrauna. [14] The Sainthwars adopted higher-caste customs, and despised the neighbouring Kurmis who practised the customs (such as widow remarriage) associated with the lower castes. [15] Nevertheless, many people continued to consider them a sub-division of the Kurmis. [9] [16] Sachchidanand Sinha (1982) writes that while a section of Sainthwars did not like being associated with Kurmis, many of them were not ashamed of being called Kurmis. [3]

The oral tradition of the Sainthwars traces their ancestry to Chandraketu, a son of the legendary hero Lakshmana. [1] One claim traces their ancestry and derives their name from the ancient Santhāgāra Kshatriyas, associating them with the Malla tribe. [17]

Politics

The rulers of the Padrauna estate in British India were Sainthwar by caste. In 1980, Chandra Pratap Narain Singh of this family became a Member of Parliament from the Padrauna Lok Sabha constituency, as a candidate of the Indian National Congress. [18] His son Ratanjit Pratap Narayan Singh also joined the Congress, and became a three-time Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Padrauna Assembly constituency. In 2009, he was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Padrauna Lok Sabha constituency, and served as a state-rank minister in the Second Manmohan Singh ministry. In 2014 and 2019, he lost the Lok Sabha elections from the newly-created Kushinagar Lok Sabha constituency to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates. In 2022, he joined the BJP and the candidate backed by him won the State Assembly elections from Padrauna. [6]

Janmejay Singh, a Sainthwar and a BJP politician, was a BJP MLA from the Deoria Assembly constituency. [19]

Affirmative action

In 2001, the Rajnath Singh-led BJP state government of Uttar Pradesh constituted a social justice committee led by Hukum Singh for distribution of reservation among various castes. This committee recommended that the "Kurmi-Mall/Kurmi-Sainthwar" be included in the "More Backward Castes" category, which would be allotted 9% reservation. However, its recommendations were not implemented as BJP lost the next assembly elections. [20]

In 2006, the Central Government included the "Kurmi-Sainthwar/Kurmi-Mall" in the Central list of OBCs for Uttar Pradesh. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arjun Singh (Madhya Pradesh politician)</span> 12th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, India

Arjun Singh was an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress, who served twice as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in the 1980s. He also served twice as the Union Minister of Human Resource Development, in the Manmohan Singh and P. V. Narasimha Rao ministries.

The Other Backward Class (OBC) is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes that are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with general castes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SCs and STs). The OBCs were found to comprise 52% of the country's population by the Mandal Commission report of 1980 and were determined to be 41% in 2006 when the National Sample Survey Organisation took place. There is substantial debate over the exact number of OBCs in India; it is generally estimated to be sizable, but many believe that it is higher than the figures quoted by either the Mandal Commission or the National Sample Survey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitish Kumar</span> 22nd Chief Minister of Bihar (born 1951)

Nitish Kumar is an Indian politician who has served as the 22nd chief minister of Bihar since 22 February 2015, having previously held the office from 2005 to 2014 and for a short period in 2000. He is Bihar's longest serving chief minister, and also holding the post for 9th term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. P. Singh Baghel</span> Indian politician

Satya Pal Singh Baghel is an Indian politician. A member of Bharatiya Janata Party, he got elected to 17th Lok Sabha from Agra. He previously was a member of Samajwadi Party, in which he got elected to Lok Sabha thrice and to Rajya Sabha once as a member of Bahujan Samajwadi Party.

Gangwar is an Indian surname which is often associated with Kurmi caste of northern India. It is also considered as a sub-caste of the Kurmis. In Uttar Pradesh, they are primarily distributed between Bareilly and Pilibhit district.

Kushwaha is a community of the Indo-Gangetic Plain that has traditionally been involved in agriculture, including beekeeping. The term has been used to represent different sub-castes of the Kachhis, Kachhvahas, Koeris and Muraos. Under the Indian governments system of positive discrimination, the Kushwahas are classified as a "Backward" or Other backward class. The Kushwaha had worshipped Shiva and Shakta, but beginning in the 20th century, they claim descent from the Suryavansh (Solar) dynasty via Kusha, one of the twin sons of Rama and Sita. At present, it is a broad community formed by coming together of several caste groups with similar occupational backgrounds and socio-economic status, who, over the time, started inter-marrying among themselves and created all India caste network for caste solidarity. The communities which merged into this caste cluster includes Kachhi, Kachhwaha, Kushwaha, Mali, Marrar, Saini, Sonkar, Murai, Shakya, Maurya, Koeri and Panara.

The politics of Bihar, an eastern state of India, is dominated by regional political parties. As of 2021, the main political groups are Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United) (JDU), Indian National Congress (INC), Left Front, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM). There are also some smaller regional parties, including Samata Party, Hindustani Awam Morcha, Rashtriya Jan Jan Party, Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal, Jan Adhikar Party and Vikassheel Insaan Party, Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, which play a vital role in politics of state. As of 2024, Bihar is currently ruled by NDA, after JDU break out from Mahagatbandhan (Grandalliance) coalition and returned to NDA fold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh</span> Indian politician (born 1964)

Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh or R. P. N. Singh, is an Indian politician and former Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He was the Member of Parliament for Kushinagar constituency in the fifteenth Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014. In the 2014 General Election, despite an increase in his own votes, he was defeated by Rajesh Pandey (BJP). He lost again in 2019. In September 2020, Singh was chosen for AICC in charge of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

The Koeri, also referred to as Kushwaha and more recently self-described as Maurya in several parts of northern India are an Indian non-elite caste, found largely in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, whose traditional occupation was agriculture. According to Arvind Narayan Das they were horticulturist rather than agriculturists. They are also recorded as performing the work of Mahajan in credit market of rural parts of Bihar and Bengal in 1880s. Koeris have attempted Sanskritisation— as part of social resurgence. During the British rule in India, Koeris were described as "agriculturalists" along with Kurmis and other cultivating castes. They are described as a dominant caste in various opinions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dara Singh Chauhan</span> Indian politician

Dara Singh Chauhan is an Indian politician, currently serving as member of legislative council, and formerly represented the Madhuban in Uttar Pradesh as a member of Bharatiya Janata Party. He was former Cabinet Minister in Yogi Adityanath ministry. He also represented Ghosi in the 15th Lok Sabha, where he was leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party. In 16th Lok Sabha, he was defeated by Harinarayan Rajbhar who represented Bharatiya Janata Party by more than 140,000 votes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hari Kewal Prasad</span> Indian politician

Hari Kewal Prasad alternatively known as Hari Kewal Prasad Kushwaha was an Indian politician and Member of Parliament for four terms. He was a member of the 9th, 10th, 12th and the 14th Lok Sabhas of India. In all four terms, he represented the Salempur constituency of Uttar Pradesh and was a member of the Samajwadi Party political party before his death. and his son Ravindra Kushwaha is also currently Member of Parliament 2014 till now

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upendra Kushwaha</span> Former Minister of State for Human Resource Development, India

Upendra Kumar Singh, commonly known as Upendra Kushwaha is an Indian politician, and a former Member of Bihar Legislative Council and Bihar Legislative Assembly. He has also served as Minister of State for Human Resources and Development in the Government of India. Kushwaha is a former Member of Parliament (MP) from the Karakat constituency in Rohtas district, Bihar, and a former member of the Rajya Sabha. He was the leader of Rashtriya Samata Party (RSP), his own party, which merged into Janata Dal (United) (JDU) in 2009. Later, he formed Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), which also merged with JD(U) in 2021. On 20 February 2023, Kushwaha resigned from all positions in Janata Dal (United) and formed his own party called Rashtriya Lok Morcha due to his political problems with JD(U) and Nitish Kumar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swami Prasad Maurya</span> Indian politician

Swami Prasad Maurya is an Indian politician and was a member of the 17th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh of India. He represented the Padrauna constituency of Uttar Pradesh. He was a member of Samajwadi Party till 2024 to which he resigned. Maurya has been a Member of the legislative assembly for five terms, has been a minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh, Leader of the house, and Leader of the opposition. He was serving as Cabinet Minister for Labour, Employment and Co-ordination in Yogi Adityanath ministry. Until 2021, he was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party which he joined after a long stint with Bahujan Samaj Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jat reservation agitation</span> 2016 violent protests

The Jat reservation agitation was a series of violent protests in February 2016 by the Jat people of North India, especially those in the state of Haryana, which "paralysed" the state for 10 days. The protestors sought inclusion of their caste in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category, which would make them eligible for affirmative action benefits. Besides Haryana, the protests also spread to the neighbouring states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the National Capital Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samrat Choudhary</span> Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar

Samrat Choudhary alias Rakesh Kumar is an Indian politician, who is currently serving as Deputy Chief minister of Bihar under Nitish Kumar. He is a Member of Bihar Legislative Council from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He has been the party president of BJP Bihar State unit from March 2023. He has also remained Member of Legislative Assembly and a minister in Government of Bihar in Rashtriya Janata Dal government. Chaudhary has been a former Vice President of BJP for the state of Bihar and currently elected for the second term as MLC in 2020 after his first term ended in 2019. In 2014, Samrat planned a split in Rashtriya Janata Dal by defecting thirteen MLAs as splinter group of the party, later joining the BJP. In 2022, he was selected as the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luv-Kush equation</span> Political term used in Bihar, India

The Luv-Kush equation is a political term used in the context of the politics of Bihar, to denote the alliance of the agricultural Kurmi and the Koeri caste, which was assumed to be approximately 15% of the state's population The alliance of these two caste groups has remained the support base of Nitish Kumar, as against the MY equation of Lalu Prasad Yadav, which constitutes Muslims and the Yadavs. Caste consciousness and the quest for political representation largely drive the politics of Bihar. The political alliance of the Koeri and the Kurmi castes, termed the "Luv-Kush equation" was formed when a massive Kurmi Chetna Rally was organised by members of the Kurmi community in 1994 against the alleged casteist politics of Lalu Yadav, who was blamed by contemporary community leaders for promoting Yadavs in politics and administration.

Maurya is a surname used by Kushwaha caste in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The community called Kushwaha are also known as Koeri, Kachhi, Shakya, Murao and Saini in various parts of the state of Uttar Pradesh. They are second largest OBC group in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after Yadavs and are one of the most politically organised peasant community in India after Jats, Yadavs and Kurmis. In Rajasthan, due to lack of numerical preponderance in assembly constituencies like Jats, they are underrepresented in politics; however, in Bihar, they are a dominant caste, comprising approximately 9 percent of the population of state. They wield influence over 63 assembly constituencies and half a dozen Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

Kushwaha is a surname used by people of Koeri caste in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The Kushwahas are also known as Maurya, Shakya, Saini in various parts of north India. As per one opinion, the Kushwaha surname is also common among members of Kachhi caste, who later merged with the Koeris to become a single homogeneous community. They are a dominant OBC community in the state of Bihar.

Shakya is an Indian surname and is part of the broader Kushwaha community including other surnames like Maurya, Kachhi, Saini, Koeri etc, who collectively assert descent from Kusha, a son of the avatar of Vishnu, Rama. This caste group is considered as one of the most numerous OBC castes in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It is estimated that they are distributed across the states, in almost all assembly constituencies. In Uttar Pradesh, they have preponderance in Etah Lok Sabha constituency.

Saini is an Indian surname, used by various communities in North India. In Uttar Pradesh, it is used by people of Kushwaha or the Koeri caste. In Rajasthan and Haryana, it is most often associated with Mali caste. Saini is also a community of Punjab, included in state's list of Other Backward Class from 2016 onwards. In Haryana term Saini is considered synonymous with other terms such as Koeri, Kushwaha, Maurya and Shakya, all included in state's list of Backward Castes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kumar Suresh Singh, ed. (1998). India's Communities. Vol. A–G. Oxford University Press. p. 2163. ISBN   978-0-19-563354-2.
  2. 1 2 Pradipta Chaudhury (2004). "The 'Creamy Layer': Political Economy of Reservations". Economic and Political Weekly. 39 (20): 1990. JSTOR   4415016.
  3. 1 2 Sachchidanand Sinha (1982). Caste System: Myths, Reality, Challenge. Intellectual Publishing House. p. 129. Saithwar and Patanwar tribes have become ashamed of the term Kurmi, and reject all addition to the names above mentioned, although it is well known that they are Kurmis , and many of them are not ashamed of this name.
  4. ↑ Kumar Pandey, Santosh (9 October 2023). "जातीय जनगणना को लेकर सैंथवार समाज ने किया कार्यक्रम, बोले- 'वोट बैंक के लिए मिटाई जा रही हमारी पहचान'". ABP News.
  5. ↑ Singh, K. S. (1992). "Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles".
  6. 1 2 Shashank Chaturvedi; David N. Gellner; Sanjay Kumar Pandey (1 November 2023). "The 2022 State Elections in Uttar Pradesh and the RSS-isation of the BJP". South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies. doi:10.1080/00856401.2023.2266289.
  7. ↑ "RPN's palace in Kushinagar now symbolises his party shift". Hindustan Times. 11 February 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Castes / Communities included in Central List of OBCs". Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. 6 March 2006.
  9. 1 2 Paul R. Brass; Francis Robinson, eds. (1987). The Indian National Congress and Indian society, 1885-1985: ideology, social structure, and political dominance. Chanakya. pp. 316–317. ISBN   9788170010265.
  10. ↑ Hasan, Amir; Das, J. C.; Rizvi, Baqr Raza (2004). People of India: The Communities: Gaddi-Muslim Teli. Anthropological Survey of India. pp. 932–934. ISBN   978-81-7304-114-3.
  11. ↑ Shahid Amin (1995). Event, Metaphor, Memory: Chauri Chaura, 1922-1992. University of California Press. p. 33. ISBN   978-0-520-08780-4. Sainthwar: a middle-ranking caste of 'industrious' peasants, closely related to the Kurmi
  12. ↑ Kamal Shankar Srivastava (1988). Origin and Development of Class and Caste in India. Sangeeta Prakashan. p. 183.
  13. ↑ Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya (1896). Hindu Castes and Sects: An Exposition of the Origin of the Hindu Caste System and the Bearing of the Sects Towards Each Other and Towards Other Religious Systems. Thacker, Spink. p. 271.
  14. ↑ Blunt, Sir Edward (1969). The Caste System of Northern India. Chand & Company. pp. 55, 217. ISBN   978-81-8205-495-0.
  15. ↑ Ranjana Sheel (1997). "Institutionalisation and Expansion of Dowry System in Colonial North India". Economic and Political Weekly. 32 (28): 1716. JSTOR   4405621.
  16. ↑ Paul R. Brass (1984). Caste, Faction, and Party in Indian Politics: Faction and party. Chanakya. p. 204. ISBN   9788170010104. ...Sainthwar by caste , a local backward caste considered by many people to be part of the Kurmi caste category.
  17. ↑ Muzaffar H. Syed, ed. (2022). History of Indian Nation : Ancient India. K.K. p. 46.
  18. ↑ Paul R. Brass (1984). "National Power and Local Politics in India: A Twenty-Year Perspective". Modern Asian Studies. 18 (1): 100–101. JSTOR   312384.
  19. ↑ Subhash Mishra (15 October 2020). "Brahmin candidates get top billing in Deoria bypoll theatre". The Times of India.
  20. ↑ Arvind Kumar (22 January 2022). "Non-Yadav OBCs and their electoral significance in Uttar Pradesh". India Today.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.