Gandhi believes that caste remains the primary determinant of social and economic disadvantage in India and therefore justifies reservation as a tool for historical redress and social transformation. By repackaging reservation as economic policy rather than social justice, she makes the concept palatable to dominant caste constituencies who might otherwise resist explicit caste-based affirmative action. This strategy, while electorally expedient, represents a form of elite capture where the language of social justice is appropriated while its transformative potential is neutralised. First, it provides the BJP with ammunition to portray the opposition as opportunistic and lacking principled commitment to social justice. However, this requires moving beyond the elite appropriation of social justice discourse towards genuine engagement with the lived experiences of marginalised communities.