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I had written an article in 2013 explaining how the Sugar Lobby of western Maharashtra forms the modern day Jaagirdari system. I would recommend reading this article first to understand the deeper meanings of words that will follow this paragraph.
The Jagirdari system was a land revenue system prevalent in medieval India, particularly during the Mughal era. In this system, the emperor granted land (jagir) to nobles, military officers, or other officials known as jagirdars. In return, jagirdars were responsible for collecting revenue from their land, maintaining law and order, and providing military support to the emperor. The revenue collected supported their households and troops, with a portion sent to the central treasury. Jagirs were typically non-hereditary and could be reassigned or revoked at the emperor's discretion, ensuring the central authority's control and preventing the rise of powerful feudal lords.
In a modern context, the Jagirdari system can be visualized as a scenario where political leaders and parties function as contemporary jagirdars, wielding significant control over their regions. The central authority, represented by a political leader or party in Delhi, maintains power through the allegiance and revenue of these regional leaders. Each district functions like an autonomous jagir, managed by a local political figure who fiercely protects their influence and control. These modern jagirdars collect support and resources from their constituents, channeling a portion to the central authority, thus ensuring a structured but decentralized political power network throughout India.
What we know as "Congress System", is essentially the continuation of this Sultanate era Jagirdari system which was also continued by British to facilitate their rule on India. I have covered the evolution of this system in my Imperium series part 1.
Such Jagirdars are predominantly found all over India. They are most evolved in Maharashtra, but the politics of states, regions, castes, identities essentially revolves around a dominant Jagirdar family who mobilizes a critical mass of votes and resources from a district-size unit either for the central power of India OR the regional satrap / Subhedar of that central power in the state. These are mostly comprised on upper caste landed Hindus who have / had kshatriya status in the society. Due to democratization of politics, the power is however no longer necessarily accumulated in the kshatriya caste families but any dominant family with resources and hold on critical mass of votes of certain caste/linguistic identity. Until the democratization seeped in the psyche of Hindus (until 1970s/80s), it was almost exclusively kshatriya castes. But after JP movement and Lohia movement, the dominant OBC castes too rose to be such Jagirdars of different places and in different times.
Throughout history of Hindus, this decentralized Jagirdari system has been a common feature of Hindu polity. It is so deeply entrenched that I wonder if it was indeed invention or creation of Delhi Sultanate (who's educational background was dubious to have understood and created a complex system like this one).
This system seems to be an organic Hindu method of political organization in absence of a strong political core. Contrary to popular belief, the Muslim rule in India was not very centralized (speaking in terms of administration) as they were mostly interested only in loot and proselytization. The Jagirdars arranged themselves in such a way that their hold on their district-size Jagir remains stable, no matter who is the central ruler OR his/her state satrap.
The regional satrap or the Subhedar too, usually was elevated from trusted Jagirdars in the region OR was appointed from top who immediately entered a "mutually beneficial arrangement" with the jagirdars of the region. If we are to use mathematical terminology, we can call this a "Nash Equilibrium" of jagirdars and the central power.
This system, while beneficial in absence of a strong central Hindu leadership, leads to rise of fissiparous centrifugal tendencies among Hindu jagirdars. The Muslim Jagirdars have religious motivations superseding their economic ones. This makes the creation of Unified Hindu Response difficult to achieve and even more difficult to sustain for long.
Jagirdari drag during Hindu Expansion
Shivaji Maharaj was among the first to identify this problem when the Hindavi Swarajya he started went on offensive against Islam and had a serious shot at overthrowing the sociopolitical dominance of Islam on India. The fissiparous tendencies of entrenched Jagirdars fought continuously against Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj. Both father and son were brutal in cutting down the influence of this system on Hindu polity. But while they succeeded for short duration, the system bounced back equally rapidly after brutal assassination of Sambhaji Maharaj by Aurangzeb.
From 1689, Jagirdari system returned. It may be argued that the betrayal of Sambhaji Maharaj was done by the disgruntled Jagirdar familes (Shirke clan) who were disenfranchised by Sambhaji Maharaj. It is noted that none of the established Jagirdars even attempted to rescue Sambhaji Maharaj while he was gradually paraded throughout the expanse of Hindavi Swarajya to Aurangzeb's camp near modern day Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad).
After Sambhaji Maharaj, his younger brother Rajaram, his son Shahu, the Peshwas all used this system to their benefit and it all worked well as long as Hindavi Swarajya was expanding geographically with revenues coming in. However the centrifugal tendencies sprung up when Hindavi Swarajya plateaued after Panipat-3. Within 40 years, the centrifugal tendencies of Hindu Jagirdars became too strong to resist and India fell to British occupation in 1818.
Throughout 800 years of known incumbency of this system, only Shivaji and Sambhaji were two Hindu rulers who seriously tried to make this system irrelevant. And bulk of the support they drew was from those sections of society that we call OBCs, SCs, STs, Brahmin/Kayasth castes. Shivaji Maharaj had to fight earnestly against many of his own caste members who were either Jagirdars themselves or were deeply associated and benefitted from this system. This is a very important point that one must note.
Jagirdari system under British rule
From 1818 Until 1947, the Jagirdari system broadly reorganized itself like follows under British rule :
Land-owning castes: They held a monopoly over rural wealth but must pay a fixed amount of tax to the ruler. How they manage their wealth and extract revenue was their concern, but they must deliver the required tax and resources to satrap and central power without question.
Lowest classes (Scheduled Castes and most backward classes): They were brutalized and treated almost like intelligent oxen.
Current day OBCs: They occupied the middle tier but were completely dependent on the land-owning castes.
Banias: Conducted their business by sharing the spoils with the ruling masters.
Brahmins: Maintained their position at the top of the religious hierarchy and assist in keeping the account books and bureaucracy. First to rise among the english speaking bureaucracy and gave rise to their own mini-jagirdari system.
Jagirdari of Congress system post independence
After British tutored Congress to pass on their control of Jagirdars cultivated by them to Nehru's clan, following changes happened in Indian polity.
Land-owning castes: They maintain a monopoly over rural wealth through the control of local markets and the determination of produce rates in Mandis. This allows them to keep a grip on the rest of the rural population, akin to having a form of reservation.
Lowest classes (Scheduled Castes and most backward classes): While they can no longer be brutalized, they remain extremely poor and are unlikely to experience significant development for at least 100 years. They are given reservations in jobs and protection, but most still work as laborers in rural areas.
Current day OBCs: They occupy the middle tier but are entirely dependent on the land-owning castes. The landowners lease their lands to these classes, making them heavily reliant on landowners. Politically, if they do not vote for the power of Jats, Reddys, or Thakurs, they risk losing their lease for the next year, affecting their livelihoods.
Banias: Conduct your business and pay taxes. For any taxes avoided, fund the party.
Brahmins: Maintain your position at the top of the religious hierarchy. Through the roles of patel and patwari, they still hold some power similar to land-owning castes in some geographies, though without as much muscle power.
Jagirdari changes post 1990 liberalization
As urbanization and education increased, wealth gradually moved to the cities. This created ongoing challenges for the Congress Party, culminating in its decline in 1989 when V.P. Singh mobilized the OBCs to challenge the dominance of the land-owning castes. The land-owning castes maintained their power through monopolies in the form of cooperatives and mandis. Brahmins have lost much of their power, even if they still live in a fantasy world. They are facing the same decline as the land-owning castes, a process that began in the late 1980s.
The phenomenon of Narendra Modi : Effects on Jagirdari system
Modi tried to do the unthinkable. And like Shivaji, he almost succeeded as well for a time being. I should not use past-tense now since the game is still being played. But Modi is first Hindu ruler since Shivaji to have tried to undermine and threaten the very existence of Jagirdari system in India. This is where 2024 comes in the picture.
It is a very useful system when entire system is under existential threat from a medieval enemy. New times are different. The advent of AI and micro-targeting of various social groups on social media with different messages is technologically possible and awareness of Hindus as a society is not yet high to acknowledge the existence of such threat.
The jagirdari system resents Modi because the formalization of the economy is threatening their last stronghold. All the associated stake-holders (OBCs, SCs, STs, Brahmins and other relevant Hindu castes) which had a working system in place for centuries was (is) threatened by Modi's initiatives.
How situation looks today - Why Modi fell from 303 to 240
Land Owning Castes : They have maintained their power through monopolies in the form of cooperatives and mandis. They have become indifferent as the digital economy and economic formalization loom over them. Despite retracting the farm laws, Modi has continued with the corporatization of cooperatives, further unsettling these traditional power structures.
Brahmins : They have lost much of their power, even if they still live in a fantasy world. They are facing the same decline as the land-owning castes, a process that began in the late 1980s.
The lowest classes : They have developed a new addiction in the form of direct money transfers, initially through the corrupt MGNREGA and later through Modi's DBTs. Their expectations are now independent of the traditional jagirdari system, and they will vote for the highest bidder, regardless of who comes to power.
Banias : They are furious with Modi because of tax formalization. They can no longer escape taxes with simple bribes, and GST has become their equivalent of a nightmare.
Only the Backward Classes (BCs), excluding some exceptions like the Yadavs, form the true base of the BJP.
This is eerily similar to Shivaji's and Sambhaji's era when such attempt was made. The system ultimately betrayed Sambhaji Maharaj to his brutal death. While all the stake-holders were shocked at the nature of death Sambhaji Maharaj was made to face, nothing much was done for the rescue, although everything was done for revenge "while reverting back to the mutually beneficial jagirdari system". I foresee similar response from the system. This is not about Modi anymore - entire Sangh pariwar must be aware of this history and try that it does not repeat.
Way Ahead : How various components of the system may respond henceforth
Land-owning castes: Their support will hinge on negotiating to maintain their monopolies.
Banias: Their support is driven by the desire for tax savings from GST keeping the escape routes open for tax evasion.
Brahmins: They seek job opportunities and a safety net.
Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs): They demand direct money transfers; otherwise, they withdraw their support.
Among all the groups mentioned above, the common sentiment is: "I can't accept this change and be led by these OBCs. Let's reject the new order and revert to the old Jagirdari model. Let's give the Congress Party another chance." This is why the Congress Party often becomes the default option.
Also, for certain small but critical section of Hindus from above category : Modi is not Hindu enough, and hence not worthy of being given a chance again.
What should Hindutva do (irrespective of Modi)
The Hindutva movement should not repeat the mistake of 1689 wherein Jagirdari system was reinstated with even more fervor than Mughals. Swarajya outbid the Jagirdars and turned all Hindu Jagirdars serving Mughals against them. This worked in short term but eventually led to our downfall at the hands of British 100 years later. History's cycle will not move so slowly this time. The downfall will come much quicker (in next 5 years).
If Jagirdari system is not disrupted, the Congress Party will likely gain 200+ seats in the 2029 elections. They will first reclaim Jat-dominated regions and then secure the Telugu states. As it stands, the significant section of land-owning castes like Thakurs, Marathas, Reddys, Lingayats/Vokkaligas, Jats, etc.) will largely abandon the BJP and will consistently support the Congress for the next few election cycles.
But Modi has changed the polity of India for ever. And somehow the Hindu society is not yet accepting the fact that there is no way going back now.
Modi must continue to the disruption of the status quo with measures like GST, demonetization, and UPI, Aadhar-property linking, demonetization 2.0 and many other measures. He needs to push for significant changes through gerrymandered delimitation and backdoor farm laws, offering some concessions to land-owning castes to mitigate their anger, but not enough to maintain their monopolies. Additionally, he must implement massive cash transfers for the lower strata and tax incentives for Banias and working classes. The scale of these cash transfers and tax sops will be directly proportional to GDP growth.
For the Congress Party, a coalition of land-owning castes, SCs, 50% of Brahmins, and STs would be enough to return them to their 2009 levels. In 2024, they managed to bring Muslims and SCs back into their fold.
Conclusion
Jagirdari system evolved under Islamic rule when massive abuse of Hinduism was a norm. Such is the nature of Hindu Jagirdari system that as long as their wealth is assured, even extreme disrespect to land, gods, temples and women is tolerated and intellectually explained off (effects of kali yuga etc).
Jagirdari system must go. To the very least, it must be forcibly made to give up all its ties with Breaking India Forces. It is a very bitter pill to swallow but NaMo 3.0 must do this. The reunification of Savarna Hindu + OBC + SC votes (what is called as United Spectrum of Hindu Votes as seen in 2019) while not pandering to Jagirdari system is what is required.
Else, partition like difficult times await Hindus from 2030 onwards until 2045 - when Shani and Ketu will enter Rohini Nakshatra beginning the bloody 90 year cycle of Indian history. Hindu Jagirdari remains divided, Islamic Jagirdari is forced into unity by religious motivation. Remember and never Forget 1761 - Panipat.
