The caste system is described as a “unifying factor” in Indian society that the Mughals failed to understand and the British viewed as an obstacle to their colonial ambitions, according to an editorial in the latest issue of Panchjanya, a weekly magazine affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

This defence of the caste system comes amid a political controversy over BJP leader Anurag Thakur asking about the caste of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Budget Session in Parliament.

“The caste system was a chain that kept various classes of India together after classifying them according to their profession and tradition. Following the industrial revolution, the capitalists saw the caste system as the guard of India,” the weekly’s editor, Hitesh Shankar, said in the editorial, titled “Ae netaji! Kaun zaat ho?”

The editorial coincides with the RSS’ ongoing efforts to stress that it does not oppose reservations for marginalised communities.

“The Mughals targeted it (caste system) with the power of the sword and the missionaries under the guise of service and reform. In the form of caste, the Indian society understood that betraying one’s caste was a betrayal of the nation. The missionaries understood this unifying equation of India better than the Mughals: If India and its self-respect are to be broken, then first break the unifying factor of the caste system by calling it a constraint or chain,” Shankar said in the editorial.

The editorial claims that British colonialists adopted missionaries’ views on the caste system to further their ‘divide and rule’ strategy.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has pushed for the elimination of caste discrimination, stating in 2023 that he would support reservations for another 200 years if necessary to address the 2,000 years of oppression faced by lower castes.

The editorial argued that people should understand the relevance of the caste system rather than exploiting it for personal gain. It also criticises the Congress party for its stance on caste and its demand for a caste census.

“The larger arc of a Hindu’s life, including his sense of dignity, morality, responsibility and community, revolves around caste. It is something that individual-centric missionaries could not understand. If missionaries saw caste as a roadblock to their conversion programme, the Congress saw it as a wedge in Hindu unity. On the lines of the British, it wants to divide Lok Sabha seats based on caste and increase the division in the country. This is why it wants a caste census,” the editorial said.

“When Congress party is asked of its caste, the answer will be East India Company and A O Hume,” it said.