How we think about caste

Sify has a report on the various people who could be the next president of India -- they name Amitabh Bachchan as a candidate! -- and I found the following line, about Sushil Kumar Shinde, to be somewhat odd:

From the Congress camp, Shinde has emerged as a frontrunner as a Dalit candidate but the appointment of a Dalit Chief Justice has now reduced his chances a wee bit.

It's like someone is handing out rations. Ideally, Shinde's caste should not even matter, only his competence should. And yet, in this era of identity politics, it is crucial. Pity.

(Link via email from BV Harish Kumar.)