- Strange as it might seem, the middle class — the type that pays income tax, gets graduate degrees, covets English medium education — is not a major factor in the calculations of your average Indian politician.
- The middle class’s voting power is limited even in urban constituencies because of the overwhelming presence of vote-rich shanties, slums and tenements — and then it happens. Some kind of a middle class outrage builds up. And then there is an impact that is undeniable.
- When the hour comes, the middle class wields an influence that is disproportionate to its voting power in the number game called ‘elections’.
- The message after this month’s street protests seems to be an affirmation of the broader, liberal values of the Constitution.
The big question facing us after a surprisingly huge, widespread and largely spontaneous wave of urban protests across India against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (now an Act) is this: Has the middle class done it again?
Strange as it might seem, the middle class — the type that pays income tax, gets graduate degrees, covets English medium education and watches middle-of-the-road Bollywood movies — is not a major factor in the wily calculations of your average Indian politician. Yet, it is everywhere where the state power is discussed or encountered: TV studios, courts, malls and marketplaces. It cribs about corruption, often proudly sporting an ‘I-hate-politicians’ or ‘I-am-not-political’ tag. It is but natural that this class is hardly on the top of the minds of grassroots political leaders or the parties that nurture them.