Which one among the following was not a demand of the Prarthana Samaj ?

The Prarthana Samaj, founded in 1867 by Atmaram Pandurang in Bombay, was a prominent socio-religious reform movement [3]. Its core social agenda consisted of four specific pillars: (i) women's education, (ii) widow remarriage, (iii) raising the age of marriage for both boys and girls, and (iv) the disapproval of the caste system [2]. While the Samaj advocated for the upliftment of depressed classes and opposed caste orthodoxy [4], the specific demand for the 'abolition of untouchability' as a formal programmatic point is more distinctly associated with later movements, such as those led by B.R. Ambedkar or Mahatma Gandhi. The Samaj primarily focused on internal Hindu reform through education and persuasion rather than radical social restructuring [2]. Therefore, while it promoted social equality and the improvement of marginalized communities, the abolition of untouchability was not one of its primary four-point demands.

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 19: Towards Modernity > The Prarthana Samaj (1867) > p. 300
2. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 9: A General Survey of Socio-Cultural Reform Movements > Prarthana Samaj > p. 211
3. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 9: A General Survey of Socio-Cultural Reform Movements > Prarthana Samaj > p. 212
4. [4] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 13: Growth of New India Religious and Social Reform After 1858 > Religious Reform in Maharashtra > p. 217