Gandhi publicly equated Untouchables’ understanding with that of cows.

Evidence

G: Would you, Dr Mott, preach the Gospel to a cow? Well, some of the untouchables are worse than cows in understanding. I mean they can no more distinguish between the relative merits of Islam and Hinduism and Christianity than a cow. You can only preach through your life. The rose does not say: ‘Come and smell me.’ — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 423

Categorization

• BMF: Gandhi’s claim that you cannot preach to those unfit to choose recalls the civilizing-mission paternalism in The Reluctant Fundamentalist’s reverse gaze on who gets to speak for whom.
• ADDENDUM: Parallel to complaints-about-immodesty moral-panic logic: the ‘reformer’ who speaks on behalf of the subordinate class while denying them agency.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 423