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Ambedkar vs India’s Freedom

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AMBEDKAR: A FREEDOM FIGHTER?

The degree of India’s misfortune is such that people have now begun to consider Ambedkar, a freedom fighter, which is much contradictory to the truth.

Ambedkar is his entire life never participated in a single freedom struggle movement.

I understand, not participating in any freedom struggle is not a matter of ample botheration, but what about opposing India’s freedom? Yes! Ambedkar opposed India’s freedom.

Former Viceroy of India, Archibald Wavell, records that Ambedkar went on to say [1]:

if India became independent it would be one of the greatest disasters that could happen.

How Ambedkar Opposed India’s Freedom?

I find 4 ways in which Ambedkar, the member of Viceroy’s council, opposed India’s Freedom:

I

The first way in which Ambedkar opposed India’s freedom is by disassociating ‘untouchables’ from Indian Freedom Struggle.

When the mass of India was striving for freedom, Ambedkar instead of backing them, accepted to be the member of viceroy’s council (In current terms, a minister in British cabinet in India). India was batting for freedom and Ambedkar was bowling for British. He left no opportunity to discharge India’s mass which was struggling for freedom.

Congress under the leadership of Gandhi ji was gaining momentum in its course of striving for freedom, the mass of India was with them, and this heavy mass which was batting for India’s freedom was immense enough to tremble the British government.

To aid British, Ambedkar thought of a creative idea. He divided the people (who were protesting against British) into ‘caste’ fragments.

Ambedkar projected such an image to Britishers that the heavy mass of people demanding India’s freedom consists of only governing class* (Brahmin and Baniya). He said [2]:

In the light of what has been said, it will be found that the Fight for Freedom led by the governing class is, from the point of view of the servile classes, a selfish, if not a sham, struggle. The freedom which the governing class in India is struggling for is freedom to rule the servile classes.

* Ambedkar used to refer “Brahmin and Baniya” class as “governing class”. For reference check: Dr BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol 9, p.168

In one his speech while addressing Prime Minister, he said [3]:

Prime Minister, permit me to make one thing clear. The Depressed Classes are not anxious, they are not clamorous, they have not started any movement for claiming that there shall be an immediate transfer of power from the British to the Indian people. They have their particular grievances against the British people and I think I have voiced them sufficiently to make it clear that we feel those grievances most acutely. But, to be true to facts, the position is that the Depressed Classes are not clamouring for transfer of political powerTheir position, to put it plainly, is that we are not anxious for the transfer of power ; but if the British Government is unable to resist the forces that have been set up in the country which do clamour for transference of political power—and we know the Depressed Classes in their present circumstances are not in a position to resist that— then our submission is that if you make that transfer, that transfer will be accompanied by such conditions and by such provisions that the power shall not fall into the hands of a clique, into the hands of an oligarchy, or into the hands of a group of people, whether Muhammadans or Hindus ; but that that solution shall be such that the power shall be shared by all communities in their respective proportions. Taking that view, I do not see how I, for one, can take any serious part in the deliberation of the Federal Structure Committee unless I know where I and my community stand.

Disgusting! Ambedkar weaved such a perception in the minds of British that untouchables (which he addressed as “depressed classes”) are not demanding for freedom (‘Freedom’ is referred as- Transfer of Power).

Not just once, but repeatedly Ambedkar made such remarks which will leave an impression in the minds of British that untouchables are not seeking freedom.

Ambedkar went on to call our Freedom Struggle “a dishonest agitation” and repeated that untouchables are not part of it [4]:

Untouchables have refused to take part in such a dishonest agitation, elevated though it may be by such high sounding name as “Fight for Freedom” !

II

After his attempts to disassociate untouchables from freedom movement, he did a similar experiment with Muslims.

Now, the loyal minister of British, Ambedkar, was trying to convince his masters (Britishers) that even Muslims are not part of Freedom Struggle. He commented [5]:

While it is not possible to discuss the gains resulting from the use of sanctions, the fact must be mentioned that this “Fight for Freedom” has been carried on mostly by the Hindus. It is only once that the Musalmans took part in it and that was during the shortlived Khilafat agitation. They soon got out of it. The other communities, particularly the Untouchables, never took part in it.

So now, along with untouchables, Ambedkar brought Muslims into the picture. He projected that it is only Hindus who are striving for Freedom whereas Untouchables and Muslims are not part of it.

III

Just ponder! What could have been the most effective way to discharge Indian Freedom Struggle? Probably, it is to attack those individuals and organisations who are leading it. And this is exactly what Ambedkar did. He launched a terrible verbal attack against Gandhi ji and Congress.

Ambedkar painted “Gandhi ji and Congress” as ‘Hindu’ and aspired to draw an image that Congress Party under Gandhi ji is fighting only for ‘Hindu causes’ and not for ‘all’. Ambedkar was further building a perception that if Congress wins, it will establish Swarajya or Hindu Raj, which will be terrible for minorities and untouchables.

He said [6]:

The Hindu Communal Majority is the back-bone of the Congress. It is made up of the Hindus and is fed by the Hindus. It is this Majority which constitutes the clientele of the Congress and the Congress, therefore, is bound to protect the rights of its clients.

He even said [7]:

The reason which has led the Untouchables to non-co-operate with the Congress has been popularly expressed by them when they say that they do not wish to be placed under Hindu Raj in which the governing class would be the Bania and the Brahamin with low class Hindus as their policemen, all of whom have been the hereditary enemies of the Untouchables.

And [8]:

The Congress promises to do wonders for the servile classes— the Congress speaks of masses, it ought really to speak of them as the servile classes held in bondage by the governing classes—when Swaraj comes. It says that it would like to make revolutionary changes but it has no power to make them and it must wait for Swaraj. It is this glib talk which goes to deceive the gullible foreigner. Leaving aside the boast and bluster which lie behind the statement, one may ask what really can happen if India does become a sovereign and an independent state ? One thing is certain. The governing class will not disappear by the magic wand of Swaraj. It will remain as it is and having been freed from the incubus of British Imperialism will acquire greater strength and vigour. It will capture power as the governing classes in every country do. In short, Swaraj will not be government by the people but it will be a government run by the governing class and in the absence of Government by the people, government for the people will be what the governing class will choose to make of it.

As illustrated above, Ambedkar was making every possible attempt to convince Britishers that if Freedom is given to India, it will be captured by governing classes (Brahmin and Baniya), hence it should not be given to them.

IV

Apart from convincing Britishers that it is only governing class [Brahmin and Baniya] which is fighting for Freedom, now Ambedkar started convincing Britishers that there could be no better democratic government for Indians than British government. He said [9]:

if Indians are wanting a government which is democratic, which excludes autocracy, and which by law—not by convention only—imposes upon those who are in charge of the administration a collective responsibility, then my submission to the House is this : that you cannot devise a better form of government than the one we have.

BRITISHERS PRAISING AMBEDKAR:

As I have illustrated, one of the ways in which Ambedkar opposed our Independence was by attacking Gandhi ji and Congress.

And when Ambedkar launched his massive attack against Congress and Gandhi ji, his masters– The Britishers, were quite happy with him. And this is very evident when we read the communication of Lord Linlithgow, the viceroy, with the secretary of State, Lord Zetland. He (The viceroy, Lord Linlithgow) said [10]:

I had a talk with Ambedkar whom I found very interesting.He appears to be emerging as a sort of rival, though at the present stage of not too important a type, to the Congress ministry and told me bluntly that he believed they would lose the next election and that he would be in. Lumely tells me that he thinks Ambedkar is, In fact beginning to emerge to a degree which his ministry find slightly embarrassing, and [BG.] Kher [Prime Minister of Bombay] has, it appears, instructed the police to keep a very close watch on his speeches, which have been of a somewhat violent character. With me he was cynical and amusing, and I should have said, realist. On the [ Princely ] States side, he did not conceal that he was in no way concerned with that problem, save to the extent that it directly reacted on his own, and that if it suited his own politics, the obligations of the Crown Representative to the States would carry very little weight with him. He is perhaps a little of a swashbuckler, but I should have said he was of good quality, and would be a useful colleague if he could be harnessed. Incidentally, he vouchsafed the view that Congress will suffer a sharp setback in the elections for the Bombay municipality which are due to take place about February 7. Ministers, on the other hand, assured me that Congress will for the first time achieve an independent majority in the Council, or at least go very near to securing a majority. By the time you read this we will know who has been right in their estimate.

By reading the above-quoted communication, you may estimate how happy Britishers were with what Ambedkar was doing for them.

But that communication is not an alone instance which reflects that Ambedkar was plotted by Britishers against India, there are many more.

Sir Samuel Hoare, the secretary of state on 28th December 1932 wrote [11]:

Ambedkar had behaved very well at the [ Round Table ] Conference, and I am most anxious to strengthen his hands in every possible way. Coming from a family whose members have almost always been in the [ British ] Army, he feels intensely that there are no Depressed Class units left. Could you not induce the Commander-in-Chief to give them at least a Company? Ambedkar tells me that the Depressed Class battalion did much better in the Afghan War than most of the other Indian battalions. In any case, I feel sure that at this juncture it would be a really valuable political act to make a move of this kind.

Just observe the language of Sir Samuel Hoare and look at how happy he was with the performance of Ambedkar in Round Table Conference. This doesn’t leave even an iota of doubt that Ambedkar was plotted by British to counter India.

And we all know what Ambedkar did in 2nd Round Table Conference. Whenever Gandhi ji and other leaders raised the demand of Independence, Ambedkar disrupted entire debate by raising the issue of “Dalit Rights which includes separate electoral”. And as we have read above, Sir Samuel Hoare was so happy about what Ambedkar did in 2nd Round Table Conference, it seems the so-called concern of Ambedkar for “Dalit Rights” on those moments was just a well-planned tactic of Britishers to suppress the demand of Independence.

Now let me provide another direct evidence which establishes the fact that Ambedkar was helping Britishers to extend their rule over India.

Sir Samuel Hoare, secretary of the state, said [12]:

During the last two or three years I have seen a great deal of Ambedkar, and, like most of my friends, I have been impressed by his ability and his manifest desire to support the British influence in India. He has had a
big fight, first of all with Gandhi and secondly with caste Hindus, and on the whole he seems to me to have come out of it well.

What else is needed to conclude that Ambedkar was a British agent when Sir Samuel himself accepted that Ambedkar is working to support British influence in India by making fights against Gandhi ji and caste Hindus!

Not just that, but Britishers willingly accepted that Ambedkar has been the most effective tool of theirs against Congress (which was leading India’s freedom struggle). Leo Amery said [13]:

One of the aspects of your enlarged Executive which has been most helpful, at any rate at our end, has been the way different Members have spoken up and stated the case either for the Government or against the Congress Ambedkar has been most effective more than once and so at an earlier stage was Firoz Noon. Even Jogendra was quite useful. I am sure the more they are encouraged to speak in public or to broadcast and to feel they are defending their own case and the justification for their continuing in office, the better they will get at it themselves, and the greater the cumulative effect both in India and outside. So I hope you will keep them steadily at it.

AMBEDKAR & JINNAH VS SARDAR PATEL, GANDHI JI & MAULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD:

On 3rd September 1939, The Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow declared India at war with Germany. Congress held a strong objection against British for not consulting them before setting India on such a dangerous stage. The Congress working committee stated that it would cooperate with Britain only if a central Indian national government is formed.

Lord Linlithgow gave his response to Indian leaders, but Indian leaders considered it totally unsatisfactory and decided to tender the resignation of all its ministers.

This was going to be a huge step by Congress but before it would have become successful, Jinnah on behalf of Muslim league counted his support to the British government. And even announced that Muslim league will celebrate the resignation of Congress ministers as “Day of Deliverance”.

Muslim league appealed all Muslims of the nation to join the celebration of “Day of Deliverance”. To counter this, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on behalf of Congress appealed Muslims not to join the celebration of Day of Deliverance.

Nationalist leaders of the country were opposing the celebrations of “Day of Deliverance” by Jinnah but Ambedkar extended his support to Jinnah and joined the celebrations of Day of Deliverance which laid down a strong foundation for the creation of Pakistan. How Pathetic!

But nationalist leaders like Sardar Patel were not surprised with what Ambedkar did. They knew that Ambedkar can go beyond any extent to support Britain and oppose India. Sardar Patel said [14]:

We cannot forget how Sir Samuel Hoare set the Muslims against the Hindus when the unity conference was held at Allahabad. The British statesmen in order to win the sympathy of the world, now go on repeating that they are willing to give freedom to India, were India united. The ‘Day of Deliverance’ was evidently calculated to make the world and particularly the British public believe that India was not united and that the Hindus and Muslims were against each other. But when several sections of Muslims were found to oppose the ‘Day of Deliverance’, the proposed anti-Hindu demonstrations were
converted into a Jinnah-Ambedkar-Byramji protest against the Congress Ministries and the Congress High Command.

This was a Satire by Sardar Patel against Jinnah and Ambedkar.

In fact, it seems that Sardar Patel was well-versed with the fact that Ambedkar is a threat to the nation, so he said [15]:

The question of Scheduled Castes candidates in your province and in Nagpur requires careful consideration. The Mahar community is largely found in these areas and hence we must particularly [ take ] care to see that no one of the followers of Dr. Ambedkar succeeds…

Last words: Ambedkar did much more harm to India than what I have listed out. But I have maintained my focus around “Freedom Struggle” for some good reasons. Just ponder how unfortunate India is! The man who opposed India’s independence in every possible way and worked as a British agent is now “Bharat Ratna”. Not just “Bharat Ratna” but unfortunately, India’s most worshipped icon.

I express my deep gratitude towards Mr Arun Shourie, whose book “Worshipping False Gods” inspired & helped me to write this article.

References:

[1]: DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol 17 (2), p.192

[2]: DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol 9, p.231

[3]: DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol 2, p.662

[4]: DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol 9, p.178

[5]: DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol 9, p.167

[6]: DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol 9, p.172

[7]: DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol 9, p.168

[8]: DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol 9, p.212

[9]: DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol 10, p.26

[10]: MSS.EUR.F/125/7 p.48

[11]: MSS.EUR.E.240(10) Volume II

[12]: MSS.EUR.E.240(10)

[13]: Transfer of Power, Vol 3, p.314

[14]: The Collected Works of Sardar Patel, Vol 8, pp.194-197

[15]: Sardar Patel’s Correspondence, Durga Das (ed.), Vol 2, pp.344-345

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