Though the Marwari Banias have been engaged in trade and money-lending business in erstwhile Hyderabad state for almost last three centuries—or may be even more—yet it is now that Telangana is witnessing a sort of movement to oust them.
The growth of entrepreneur culture among local people leading to the birth of new breed of business communities, consolidation of Telugu sub-nationalism as well as the gradual expansion of Bharatiya Janata Party may be some of the reasons behind the rending of the slogan “Marwaris Go Back” in the state. As in neighbouring Maharashtra, where Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena are known for their stand against Gujarati traders and industrialists as well as working class from North and South India, Telangana Kranti Dal and some local trading bodies are lending their support to the campaign against Marwari Banias, especially in Hyderabad Secunderabad and Ranga Reddy districts.
On August 22 the president of Telangana Kranti Dal, Sangamreddy Prithviraj was arrested on the plea of maintaining order.
Earlier, on August 18 a bandh call was given in Ranga Reddy district, which was ultimately withdrawn at the last moment.
BJP’s reaction
Though the protest against them was led by the local trading communities and Telangana Kranti Dal Union minister of state for home affairs and BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar sees a design of Congress, Bharatiya Rashtriya Samiti and All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen in these incidents. On the other hand, the traders alleged that Marwari Banias from Rajasthan and merchants from Gujarat not only come to do business here, but also employ people of their own states; thus, snatching the job opportunities of the local population.
The reaction from Bandi Sanjay Kumar was natural as the protestors alleged that these Marwaris and Gujaratis are spreading BJP-culture in the state. The BJP’s rise can be measured from the fact that in the Assembly election held late in 2023 it won only eight seats in the House of 119, but in the Lok Sabha election the saffron party and Congress won eight parliamentary seats each and AIMIM bagged the lone seat of Hyderabad. The weakening of Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, which is also plagued by sibling rivalry, may further help the saffron party fill the opposition space.
Dispassionate study
The issue needs to be studied in proper perspective. As Warwar region of western Rajasthan, comprising Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Balmer, Bikaner etc. districts are largely desert, there is hardly any scope for farming. Therefore, people opted for business and commerce. The trading communities which emerged over the centuries from this region have been going out for better opportunities across India since long–now they can be found all over the planet. That is why a proverb “Jahan na jaye bailgaddi wahan jaye Marwari” (Marwaris can reach the place where even bullock-cart cannot go.) was coined.
Agarwal, Kejriwal, Oswal, Dalmiya, Bajaj, Goenka, Birla, Jindal, Bansal, Khemka, Jalan etc. are some common surnames of Marwari Banias. But other people such as Rajputs, Brahmins, Dalits, OBCs, Jats, Muslims, etc. also live in Marwar, but it is the merchant communities from this region who had spread throughout India.
To much extent similar is the story of semi-arid pockets of north Gujarat and Sind (now in Pakistan), from where too traders moved outside.
Since Gujarat has a sizeable fertile land, especially in central part, over the years Patidars have grown affluent and have shifted into business in a big way. They normally use Patel as surname and can be found in Africa, Europe and North America. Unlike the Marwari and other Gujarati and Sindhi Bania communities, Patels are essentially an agrarian caste like Marathas, Jats, Reddys etc.
Jains, who had their origin in Bihar, are a leading merchant community, spread all over India, but they have strong presence in the then undivided Bombay Province and Rajasthan. Gautam Adani is the richest Jain of the world. Mukesh and Anil Ambani are Modh Bania of Gujarat, the caste to which Mahatma Gandhi belonged.
Modh Ghanchis of Gujarat, who are known as Telis (oil-pressers) in large part of central and north India, are other trading community of Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes from this caste.
New entrepreneur communities
If essentially agrarian Patels of erstwhile Bombay Province started challenging the traditional business communities, Reddys Kammas and Kapus, land-holding castes of former Madras Province and Nizam State, started emerging as leading trading communities of post-independent Andhra Pradesh. They are giving a tough time to the traditional trading castes, especially from Marwar and Gujarat.
Further south Vokkaliga and Lingayat are cultivating castes of Karnataka. They too have stormed into manufacturing and service sectors. In the same way Tamil Nadu and Kerala had in the last few decades saw the emergence in business and commerce of traditionally non-trading communities of the respective states.
Malayalis, be it Hindus, Muslims or Christians, are enterprising community and have of late risen fast in business and industry. They have palpable presence in the IT capital of India, Bangalore. They are posing stiff challenge to the Gujarati and Marwari traders in the Middle East too. As they are the leading remittance earners in India, they have invested surplus money in manufacturing and service sectors
Among Muslims the communities who have an almost all-India presence in business are Bohras, Memens and Khojas of erstwhile Bombay Province. They have their business in many other countries of the world. There are Muslim Patidars having Patel surname and engaged in trading activities.
The development of road and rail transport in 19th Century helped Marwari, Gujarati and Sindhi mercantile communities spread rapidly in Hindi heartland. They also managed to penetrate deep in South and East India. The Goenka empire is well-entrenched in the then Madras and Bengal Provinces, while Birlas, Dalmiyas and Jains have strong presence in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
It needs to be mentioned that the tribal hero of Jharkhand, Shibu Soren, who died recently, had along with Binod Bihari Mahto and A K Roy, in early 1970s launched a movement against money-lenders and liquor mafia of Chotanagpur and Santhal Parganas.
These ‘dikkus’ (outsiders) were blamed for the exploitation of poor Adivasis.
The Assam movement against outsiders (1979-85) was not only launched against Bengalis, but also directed against the big business houses from Gujarat and Rajasthan. It is other thing that the whole movement had later been given a communal twist.
In north Indian states Punjabis, both Sikhs and Hindus, made their impact in the business after the partition of sub-continent. After the Green Revolution of 1970s farmers of Punjab and Haryana became affluent and invested their money in trade, commerce and industry.
A close examination of the situation would reveal that Marwari Banias, Gujarati and Sindhi mercantile communities are being promoted by the present ruling establishment in India. However, their rise is being challenged by the indigenous trading communities as well as first and second-generation tech-savvy entrepreneurs from other castes in more developed states of South India. What is happening in Telangana can be seen in this light.
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