Reddy of Andhra Pradesh is an example of
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Dominant caste
Option (2) Dominant caste — Correct. In each region there are usually one or two major landowning castes who are also numerically very important. M.N. Srinivas called them dominant castes: they are the most powerful group, economically and politically, and dominate local society. The Kammas and Reddis in Andhra Pradesh are among the examples of such dominant landowning groups.
Option (3) Upper caste — Incorrect. The Reddys are one of the intermediate castes that gained land rights through the land reforms after Independence. The upper castes were the ‘absentee landlords’ who lost those rights; the Reddys’ power comes from land and numbers, not from a top rank in the caste order.
NCERT (2025-26): “4.1 Agrarian Structure: Caste and Class in Rural India … Such groups were termed by the sociologist M.N. Srinivas as dominant castes. In each region, the dominant caste is the most powerful group, economically and politically, and dominates local society. Examples of dominant landowning groups are the Jats and Rajputs of U.P., the Vokkaligas and Lingayats in Karnataka, Kammas and Reddis in Andhra Pradesh, and Jat Sikhs in Punjab.…” |