The politics of pasi dalit assertion in up reaches parliament

A gazetteer of Lucknow published in 1903 says: “There is a common tradition that in early days the Pasis were the lords of the greater part of the district…The old village sites and ruined

forts which elsewhere are universally attributed to the Bhars are here assigned to the Pasis or the Arakhs, who appear to be of a very similar origin.” The gazetteer also refers to their

drinking habits. “There is not a story told of the conquest of any fort, but that it was effected by plying the occupants with wine.” A gazetteer of Sitapur district says the Pasis ranked

among the lowest castes, “their usual professions being those of labourers, cultivators, watchmen, thieves and swineherds.” The document adds: “In former days, the Pasis were generally

engaged in service under the _taluqdars_; they were always notorious for their lawlessness and turbulence and had a considerable reputation for their skill with the bow.” The Bahraich

gazetteer, too, paints a similar picture. “They are mostly the descendants of the armed retainers of the great taluqdars and still possess a bad reputation as thieves and drinkers.” The

present Narendra Modi ministry has a Pasi minister as did the previous government. The Yogi Adityanath government in UP too, has had a Pasi minister in each of its two terms. Since the Pasis

are not loyal to any party, their votes are often up for grabs. And most parties resort to glorying their past icons to attract electoral support. Ajay Rawat, assistant professor in the

Department of Sociology at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow, believes that the SP’s preference for Uda Devi and Bijli Pasi indicates long-term politics to claim their

legacies and woo Pasis. It must not be seen as an opponent to Hindutva, he insists. “Both these icons are popular across Awadh and secular in nature. The BJP cannot drag them into any

communal discourse,” argues Rawat. Over the years, the BJP has put all of its energy into popularising Maharaja Suheldev, a legendary Pasi chieftain, as an anti-Muslim crusader. This

politics makes him controversial. Moreover, Suheldev’s legacy is contested as both Pasis and Rajbhars (a similarly-placed backward caste) claim to be his descendants. UP even has a party as

part of the NDA that is named after Suheldev and run by a backward caste leader Om Prakash Rajbhar. Uda Devi, on the other hand, has a more recent history and is hailed as a nationalist

heroine who fought against the British while serving in the army of the Nawabs. The evocation of Bijli Pasi must also be seen as a part of documenting “Pasi icons by historicising

self-respect, a part of which is the claim by Pasis that they were once upon a time rulers,” adds Rawat. Manoj Paswan, a Samajwadi Party leader from the Pasi community, views Prasad’s

evocation of Uda Devi and Bijli Pasi in Parliament as a welcome gesture. “Awadesh ji represents that community which was not only backward socio-politically but there were also attempts to

erase their cultural history and icons. This is an attempt to give them an identity. Uda Devi is remembered as a good warrior while Bijli Pasi is known for being a good administrator who

fought against religious dogmatism, and not just for being a Pasi,” said Paswan. _(Omar Rashid is an independent journalist who writes on politics and life in the Hindi hinterland. This is

an opinion article and the views expressed are the author’s own. THE QUINT neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)_