Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines some or all elements of endogamy, hereditary transmission of occupation, social class, social identity, hierarchy, exclusion and power. Haviland defines caste as a closed form of social stratification in which membership is determined by birth and remains fixed for life; castes are also endogamous and offsprings are automatically members of their parent's caste.

Some literature suggests that the term caste should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race or class, as in India, Japan, Korea, Nigeria, Yemen or Europe. Usually, but not always, members of the same caste are of the same social rank, have similar group of occupations and typically have mores which distinguish it from other groups. Other literature, inspired independently by Kingsley Davis and by Robert Merton, suggest that caste systems come in two forms: racial caste systems and non-racial caste systems.

Sonia Gandhi (born Antonia Edvige Albina Maino on 9 December 1946) is an Italian-born Indian politician and the President of the Indian National Congress, one of the major political parties of India. She is the widow of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi and belongs to Nehru–Gandhi family. After his assassination in 1991, she was invited by the Indian National Congress to take over the Congress but refused and publicly stayed away from politics amidst constant prodding by the Congress. She finally agreed to join politics in 1997; in 1998, she was elected as the leader of the Congress.

Since then, Sonia Gandhi has been the President of the Indian National Congress Party. She has served as the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in the Lok Sabha since 2004. In September 2010, on being re-elected for the fourth time, she became the longest serving president in the 125-year history of the Congress party. Her foreign birth has been a subject of much debate and controversy. Although Sonia is actually the fifth foreign-born person to be leader of the Congress Party, she is the first since independence in 1947.

Janardan Dwivedi (born 5 September 1945) is an Indian politician and General Secretary and chief media spokesman of the Indian National Congress party. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, representing National Capital Territory of Delhi since 2004.

Janardhan Dwivedi was born in Lodhawara in the present-day Chitrakoot district, Uttar Pradesh.

In May 2009 he took charge from Veerappa Moily as Chairman of the Media Department and Head Spokesperson of the Congress apart from serving as General Secretary of the party.

He was among the four member committee that which includes Rahul Gandhi, A.K.Antony and Ahmed Patel to look after the party affairs in Sonia Gandhi's absence.

On 6 June 2011, Dwivedi was shoed by Sunil Kumar who claimed himself as a journalist from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan state during a press conference in Delhi when he was criticizing Swami Ramdev and the Bharatiya Janata Party.