Making Sense of Lohia’s Omission from Anti-caste Discourses in India

Rammanohar Lohia (1910–1967) is one of the rare thinkers who made caste central to Indian politics in the early years of independence. Yet when compared to figures like Ambedkar, Phule or Periyar in the same tradition, Lohia stands nowhere in terms of academic reception. The question is, why? This article attempts to offer a comprehensive understanding of Lohia’s omission from anti-caste discourses and the alleged lack of radical anti-caste movements in Northern India. It challenges the prevailing omission of Lohia from anti-caste discourses, arguing that he holds a significant position as an anti-caste thinker within the Hindi public sphere. By delving into Lohia’s relationship with Ambedkar and Periyar, the article claims that the dominant template of rejecting Hinduism as the core criterion for being anti-caste has foreclosed the possibility of appreciating Lohia’s anti-caste thoughts. It claims that even the Dalit politics of present times is closer to Lohia than to Ambedkar.