Caste must be abolished before political or economic reform can succeed

Evidence

That the social order prevalent in India is a matter which a socialist must deal with; that unless he does so he cannot achieve his revolution; and that if he does achieve it as a result of good fortune, he will have to grapple with the social order if he wishes to realise his ideal—is a proposition which in my opinion is incontrovertible. He will be compelled to take account of caste after the revolution, if he does not take account of it before the revolution. This is only another way of saying that, turn in any direction you like, caste is the monster that crosses your path. You cannot have political reform, you cannot have economic reform, unless you kill this monster. — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 857

Categorization

• SEED: The phrase ‘caste is the monster that crosses your path’ could anchor an essay on how social-structural reform must precede or accompany economic reform in any stratified society.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 857
• XREF: connects to: Indian reformers split over whether social or political reform should come first — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 815