AJGAR

AJGAR was a suggested alliance of the Ahir, Jat, Gurjar and Rajput castes. It was first proposed by Sir Chhotu Ram, a rural leader and politician in pre-independence India as a form of peasant-alliance.[1]

The theory was later used by Charan Singh in the 1970s as a part of his Kisan-Politics[2] to break the monopoly of Indian National Congress in Uttar Pradesh.[3] He subscribed to this theory that Ahirs, Jats, Gurjars and Rajputs are of the same social and racial group, the Kshatriya.[4]

Aims and objectives

The backward castes are prosperous throughout the state of Uttar Pradesh and constitute the mid-strata of the village social structure. Their social conditions largely correspond to their economic position, better than the Scheduled Castes and nearer to the higher castes. AJGAR emerged to gain political power in the state.[5][6]

Political outcome

In Western Uttar Pradesh, the wealth and power of AJGAR alliance increased during the Green Revolution period,[3][7] but the AJGAR formula failed to gain widespread support.[8] However, later in 1989, the leader V. P. Singh used the AJGAR cluster successfully to conjoin the Other Backward Classes and Rajputs.[9]

See also

References
  1. Jaffrelot, Christophe (2003). India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India. Hurst. ISBN 9781850656708.
  2. Jaffrelot, Christophe (2003). India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India. Hurst. ISBN 9781850656708.
  3. Price, Pamela; Ruud, Arild Engelsen (26 July 2012). Power and Influence in India: Bosses, Lords and Captains. Routledge. ISBN 9781136197987.
  4. Brij Kishore Sharma (2008). Social, Economic and Political Contribution of Caste Associations in Northern India: A Case Study of All India Jat Mahasabha. Har Anand Publications, 2008. p. 49. ISBN 9788124114124.
  5. M. P. S. Chandel (1 January 1991). "Democratic Transformation of a Social Class". Mittal Publications. p. 110.
  6. Mahendra Lal Patel (1997). Awareness in Weaker Section: Perspective Development and Prospects. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. p. 33. ISBN 9788175330290.
  7. Lucia Michelutti (2002). "Sons of Krishna: the politics of Yadav community formation in a North Indian town" (PDF). London School of Economics and Political Science University of London. p. 34. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  8. Shafiuzzaman (2003). "The Samajwadi Party: A Study of Its Social Base, Ideology, and Programme". APH Publishing. p. 44.
  9. Rajendra Vora; Suhas Palshikar (2003). Indian Democracy: Meanings and Practices. SAGE Publications. p. 252. ISBN 978-93-5150-019-3.
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