Backward caste

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Backward caste people are generally a group of people in India who generally live off income derived from self employment on caste-dependent skills assignment. They typically include the Dalits, the Scheduled castes, and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). They live mainly in rural India and perform hard physical labour such as agriculture and janitorial work. Backward Castes constitute around 50%[citation needed] of the Indian population. Even though they have a rich culture, many live below the poverty line[citation needed]. Their plight is regarded as a serious issue in Indian society[citation needed].

Political parties in India have attempted to use these communities as votebanks.[citation needed] In contrast, some politicians like Ambedkar, D. Devaraj Urs, V.P. Singh have tried to self-empower the Backward Castes. As a result, there are now many opinion leaders, including Bangarappa, Siddaramaiah, Narendra Modi, Uma Bharathi, Ramachandra Veerappa, Laloo Prasad Yadav, and Mulayam Singh Yadav, in these communities.