The emergence of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Nitish Kumar in Bihar frightened the Savarnas. Was the caste pyramid being upturned? But how had something that started out as caste conflict become communal? Because of the upper caste appraisal that Muslims were being mobilized by the Avarna or the lower castes to topple the ageold caste system and the privilege that went with it. This largely intra-Hindu tussle worked to the disadvantage of Muslims. A frightful thought germinated: target the Muslim as the ‘Other’ to affect greater Hindu consolidation.
