According to Rajni Kothari, what happens to caste when politicians mobilise caste groupings and also approach other types of groups?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Caste changes its form as well
Option (1) Caste changes its form as well — Correct. Politicians approach caste groups and other associations to build support. As they change the form of every organisation they work through, they change the form of caste as well. Caste stays, but in a new shape.
Option (2) Caste gradually disappears from social life — Incorrect. Kothari holds that no social system disappears like that. Caste does not fade away under politics; it continues as a base of organisation in a changed form.
Option (3) Caste keeps its traditional religious framework — Incorrect. Political mobilisation alters caste. A caste that kept its old traditional frame would mean no change at all, which goes against Kothari's view.
Option (4) Caste gives way to class as the basis of politics — Incorrect. Kothari does not say that class replaces caste. Politicians work through caste and through other groups side by side, and caste carries on in an altered form.
NCERT (2026-27): “Conclusion … “Politicians mobilise caste groupings and identities in order to organise their power. …Where there are other types of groups and other bases of association, politicians approach them as well. And as they everywhere change the form of such organisations, they change the form of caste as well.” |