In West Bengal if you ask the question “Does caste matter in Bengal?”, the answer will depend on the caste of the person asked. Many among the Bengali Hindu bhadralok like to think that caste does not matter in Bengali society and politics. The long dominance of the Left in the state has entrenched idioms of class over caste and contributed to the myth of Bengali exceptionalism. “Castelessness”, many upper-caste Bengalis believe, distinguishes them from other Indians. By contrast, it has been argued that because everything in Bengal is controlled by the upper castes, it is the most casteist of India’s societies.