Journal of Discourse Review
Open Access Humanitarian scholarship
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Open Access Humanitarian scholarship
Time to first decision
Volume: 1 Issue: 2
Year: 2025, Page: 138-146,
Received: June 15, 2025 Accepted: June 24, 2025 Published: July 22, 2025
This article critically examines the Gandhi-Ambedkar debates on caste and varṇa, focusing on their differing interpretations during late colonial India’s sociopolitical transformations. Centred around the 1932 dispute over separate electorates for ‘untouchables’, the debates reveal fundamental disagreements on the nature and reform of caste. B.R. Ambedkar, viewing untouchables as a distinct group excluded from Hindu society, rejected varṇa as inseparable from oppressive caste practices (varṇapoc), advocating its annihilation through radical measures like inter-dining and intermarriage. He saw caste as a system of economic exploitation and social hierarchy, incompatible with equality, ultimately embracing Navayana Buddhism for rational, egalitarian principles. Conversely, M.K. Gandhi distinguished between an idealised varṇa (varṇaide) and its corrupted form, believing Hinduism could be reformed by purifying varṇa to eliminate untouchability while preserving social harmony through hereditary duties. Gandhi’s approach, rooted in spiritual persuasion and karmic rebirth, emphasised moral reform over structural change, clashing with Ambedkar’s demand for social revolution. The article analyses these perspectives by examining Ambedkar’s works, such as Annihilation of Caste, alongside Gandhi’s evolving views, which highlight their philosophical and practical implications. It highlights the profound tension between tradition and radical change by situating the debates within colonial reform movements, such as the Arya Samaj’s merit-based varṇa. The study reveals how their conflicting views on caste’s eradication and another for its reformation shaped India’s social justice discourse, offering insights into persistent caste inequalities.
Keywords: Ambedkar, Gandhi, Caste and Varṇa, Untouchability and Social Justice, Hinduism.
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© 2025 JDR Academic Trust. This is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Raza, M. S. (2025). Ambedkar-Gandhi Debates on Caste: A Critical Reading of the Varṇa Discourse. Journal of Discourse Review, 1(2), 138-146.