The political history of India cannot be written with out reference to caste ... Why should caste be seen as a problem? Caste is nothing but an ethnic identity. Tell me which country in the world is free from ethnic divisions, and if you like, tensions? Take the case of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, or, for that matter, the present-day USA. Ethnic mobilisation is a reality, everywhere ..                                                  (Source: The Times of India, 14 January, 1998)