Gandhi Maidan in Patna, a historic site that once echoed with slogans of freedom, socialism, and Jayaprakash Narayan’s call for total revolution, recently witnessed a telling spectacle—a massive rally led by IP Gupta under the banner of the ‘Paan’ Samaj. But this was no ordinary social congregation. From the dais, Gupta thundered that since Independence, not a single MP or MLA had emerged from the Paan community, and that the time had come to demand political voice and visibility.

One of the rally’s core demands was the re-inclusion of the Tanti-Tatwa Samaj—a sub-community of the Paans—into the Scheduled Caste list. The group had been reclassified as Extremely Backward Caste (EBC) by the Bihar government following a Supreme Court directive. The rally’s turnout was not just impressive—it was a loud assertion of identity, grievance, and aspiration.

In sharp contrast, a rally held just two days earlier by political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor at the same Gandhi Maidan drew a muted response. Despite meticulous planning and a focus on governance, education, and employment, the gathering lacked the emotional and identity-driven fervour seen at the Paan Samaj event. Kishor’s appeal to a broader “class" identity—one that seeks to transcend caste loyalties—failed to resonate. The difference in turnout underscored an uncomfortable truth: in Bihar, caste, not class, remains the more compelling axis of political mobilisation.

This is hardly new. Caste congregations have long served as socio-political tools for pressing demands—be it reservations,........

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