Ambedkar, Gandhi and Empowerment of Dalits

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It is known history that Dr. BR Ambedkar's intense struggle against the British rulers and the Indian society and its leaders resulted in recognizing for the first time the political rights of dalits in the Communal Award of 1932 given by PM Ramsay MacDonald after the debates and decisions of the Round Table Conferences. Like other communities, dalits were also given separate electorates to send their representatives to the central and provincial assemblies. With this the political and social identity of the dalits got established. The Hindu society and its leaders led by Mahatma Gandhi were dead against this happening. The manuwadi mindset was at work. They were not interested in the empowerment of the dalits but wanted to keep the dalit community in their fold to serve them as dictated in the scriptures. The oligarchy of the high castes', as somebody has said, was the riding consideration of the society rather than addressing the problems of caste and untouchability. The provisions of separate electorate as envisaged by the communal award were enough to establish political and social identity of the dalits. The opportunity was cleverly denied by the Poona Pact.

Dr. Ambedkar said that "It is the education which is the right weapon to cut the social slavery and it is the education which will enlighten the downtrodden masses to come up and gain social status, economic betterment and political freedom" In 1923 Baba Saheb founded Bahishkrit Hitkarni Sabha to spread education among marginalized and to improve their economic conditions. He gave the slogan: "Educate-Agitate-Organize". His programs were focused on mainstreaming the Untouchables into Indian society. He fought not only for equal status of Varna but for social, economic and political equality as well as equal opportunity to all. His ideas & programs set forth concrete proposals for the removal of untouchability and the empowerment of the downtrodden. If we look to the history of Dalit movement, it is as old as the birth of the concept of untouchability, which was the darkest spot in Hindu social structure.

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