Untouchability causes poverty and national degradation, making its abolition a national task

Evidence

To sum up, untouchability is not a simple matter; it is the mother of all our poverty and lowliness and it has brought us to the abject state we are in today. If we want to raise ourselves out of it, we must undertake this task. We cannot be saved in any other way. It is a task not for our benefit alone; it is also for the benefit of the nation. — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 330

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Connects to the reader’s article on sacrifice/caste-annihilation theme, and to materials about reform as national redemption.