A researcher finds that a southern state had policies for backward castes in place decades before a northern state even discussed them. Which of the following best explains this difference?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Powerful social movements had agitated there on the issue since the early twentieth century.
Option (1) The Mandal Commission report had been implemented in the southern states a decade earlier. — Incorrect. The central government decided to implement the Mandal Commission report only in 1990. The southern policies were in place long before that, so it cannot explain the gap.
Option (2) Powerful social movements had agitated there on the issue since the early twentieth century. — Correct. The southern states had a long history of backward caste political agitation from the early twentieth century. Because of these powerful social movements, OBC policies came there long before most northern states discussed them.
Option (3) The First Backward Classes Commission had recommended policies for the southern states first. — Incorrect. The First Backward Classes Commission, headed by Kaka Kalelkar, reported in 1953 but its report was sidelined. After that the OBC issue became a regional matter for the states.
Option (4) The Janata Party government had asked the southern states to act first after the Emergency. — Incorrect. The Janata Party came to power after the Emergency, in the late 1970s, and appointed the Mandal Commission. The southern policies were older than that government.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Other Backward Classes … |