WHY did Dr. Ambedkar say, "Gandhi is the greatest enemy of the untouchables"?

When Dr. Ambedkar used the words “greatest enemy", HE LITERALLY MEANT IT but WHY? (I hope to make this crystal clear by the end of the article).

The actual words used by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar were, “Gandhi is the greatest enemy the untouchables ever had in India"

When did Dr. Ambedkar say, "Gandhi is the greatest enemy the untouchables ever had in India?”

Dr. Ambedkar won the right to a seperate electorate for the scheduled classes in the famous RTC (Round Table Conferences) in London by proving that the Avarna Untouchables were NOT HINDUS. Muslims, Sikhs and the Anglo-Indians already had that right. Then on what basis did Mr. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi go on hunger-strike after the RTC, if not for the benefit of the Dwija Varnadharmis?

Mr. Gandhi's hunger-strike was nothing less than an unethical emotional black-mail to force Dr. Ambedkar into giving up the legal rights he struggled and won for the NON-HINDU Avarna untouchables. The only way those rights could be taken away by anyone was by way of labelling them as Hindus and the ONLY way to do that was if Dr. Ambedkar was somehow coerced into accepting the Hindu label for the Avarna Untouchables.

In order to understand why Dr. Ambedkar said, "Gandhi is the greatest enemy the untouchables ever had in India," it is important to know how the meaning of the word "Hindu" has changed over the past two centuries or so, to the currently assumed and perceived definition. This keeps the masses, especially the Scheduled Castes diaspora in confusion because the meaning of Hindu is interchangeably used "as and when required" by the de-facto ruling classes.

THREE DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS OF HINDU AT DIFFERENT PERIODS IN HISTORY:

1. The PERSIAN HINDUS:

Originally, the word Hindu, coined by the Persians was nothing more than a geographic identity for the people living in the land they called Hindustan.  These were the PERSIAN HINDUS (There are no more Persian Hindus). They had nothing to do with any religious identity.

Hindustan disintegrated into Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh Myanmar and a few more political countries. At the formation of these countries new nationalities were naturally created. The Hindus of the disintegrated Hindustan rightly became and started calling themselves Pakistanis, Nepalis, Indians, Bangladeshis etc. It was only the Indian Varnadharmi politicians and religious leaders who promoted and continued calling themselves Hindus, even after the Indian constitution came into force on 26th January1950 which clearly stipulates the name of the country and its citizens.

2. The BRITISH HINDUS:

After the British colonized Hindustan and coined the word "Hinduism", the meaning of the word "Hindu" went through a process of change from simply being a geographic identity to "People who belonged to any of the four Varnas". These were the BRITISH HINDUS, the Varnadharmis.

In those days (as is also found in standard text books) it was common knowledge that the Hindus belonged to and were split into FOUR main classes, the four Varnas and thousands of jatis (sometimes erroneously called castes). The Avarna untouchables did not belong to this social order as they were not part of the Varnadharmi society. They lived with their own kind in seperate villages. This almost completely eliminated the risk of physical touch between the Savarnas and the Avarnas. Both, the SaVarnas and the Avarnas, were untouchable (Acchut) to each-other but only the Avarna Untouchables came to be known as "The Untouchables", the Acchuts. The SAVARNA UNTOUCHABLES came to be known as Hindus or just the Savarnas.

What is the meaning of the word Hindu?

Avarna means non-Savarna, i.e. NOT BELONGING TO ANY VARNA. SaVarna means belonging to one of the four Varnas.

Each Hindu was bound to their Varna with their assigned Varna duties (dharma, farz in urdu). In this Hindu social order, the Brahmin Varna and its associated dharma was seen as the highest and the Shudra Varna with it's seperate dharma as the lowest. The Shudra's dharma (obligations) was to serve the other three higher Varnas, the Dwijas.

(Dwija = Brahmin, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas in the Hindu Hindu social order).

3. THE GANDHIAN HINDU:

By understanding the above definitions of Hindu, it becomes clear that Mr. Gandhi could not have been trying to save the British Hindu society from splitting. It was already split into four Dharmas. Instead, he was CREATING a NEW definition of "Hindu" so that the Avarna untouchables could also be included in that definition.

Today's forced "Hindu" identity (result of Gandhis fast), in which the Avarna untouchables are also deceptively included, is not the same as the traditional ‘four Dharma" British Hindu (or the Persian Hindu). It follows that some people from the Scheduled Classes who now see themselves Hindu, are still in fact technically NON-HINDUS as they still don't, and they cannot, belong to any of the four Varnas.

(Is Hinduism a religion or a way of life? )

In a letter to the then Prime Minister, Mr. Ramsay Mcdonald, in September 1932 Gandhi wrote,

In the establishment of separate electorates at all for the 'depressed classes', I sense the injection of poison that is calculated to destroy Hinduism.

Gandhi was cunningly implying that there was a “religion” called Hinduism and its followers were called Hindus and these "Gandhi imagined" Hindus, the GANDHIAN HINDU, included the Avarna untouchables. Gandhi said that by allowing separate electorate to the Avarna Untouchables meant the splitting of the fabric of this (Gandhian) Hindu society, not the traditional four Varna Hindu society.

If Seperate Electorates had been implemented as was legally granted, NO PERSON FROM ANY SCHEDULED CASTE OR TRIBE TODAY, WOULD BE SEEN AS, OR CALLED HINDU. This would've been perfectly in line with Dr. Ambedkar's vision that no SC person should die with the Hindu label. Even though he himself did not die a Hindu in any sense, in his last days Dr. Ambedkar had depressing thoughts of failing in his mission of removing the FORCED Hindu identity on the Scheduled Classes (SCs). Given enough time and if kept in the dark, the danger is that the actual non Hindu Avarna untouchables would eventually begin to accept "Hindu" as their real identity. We see that happening today.

THE INNOCENT, PREVIOUSLY “LEGALLY IDENTITYLESS” NON-HINDU AVARNA CLASSES THAT WERE SCHEDULED TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR THE PURPOSES OF LEGAL REPRESENTATION, HAVE DECEPTIVELY BEEN GIVEN THE HINDU LABEL. If this is not forced conversion of those who should've had a separate electorate, then what would you call this type of conversion?

THAT IS WHY DR. AMBEDKAR SAID, "Gandhi is the greatest enemy the untouchables ever had in India."

At the Roundtable Conferences, the Brahmin-Bania alliance miserably failed to legally prove that the Avarna Untouchables were ever Hindus. Mr M.K. Gandhi felt he had no choice left but to illegally FORCE the Hindu identity on the Avarna Untouchables using emotional blackmail. He succeeded.

Despite knowing that the Hindu identity is a forced identity on them, if today's scheduled classes continue to call themselves Hindu or any other identity (e.g. a Dalit identity) diverting everyone's attention away from the fact that they never were Hindu, they are not far off from being labelled as “the greatest hypocrites in modern India." They need to reclaim their Non Hindu SC identity. No other identity except the SC identity will prove they are not Hindu, unless they go through a religious conversion or remain identity-less.

Identities like a Dalit Hindu, Dalit Buddhist, Dalit Sikh is a hinderance to that because these identities do not highlight history of nomenclature of SC and their real NON HINDU roots. Furthermore, the identityless untouchables were Varnaless and Jatiless. The only way to identify and legally classify them was to state their occupation and make a list (schedule) of their professions.

NOTE:

As hard as it was for Dr. Ambedkar to give up his legally won right of seperate electorate, saving Harijan Gandhi's life was NOT the main reason for him signing the Poona Pact (document in which Dr. Ambedkar agreed to forfeit his legal right to a separate electorate). Dr. Ambedkar received threats that If Harijan Gandhi dies during his hunger strike, there would occur a genocide of the Scheduled Avarna untouchable for whom Dr. Ambedkar won special legal rights; houses would be burnt and atrocities on an unimaginable scale could take place. If the beneficiaries aren't there to enjoy the fruit, then what use is the fruit?

Dr. Ambedkar made NO MISTAKE in deciding what was the best thing to do in this situation. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing and took the best possible step in the interest of people he was representing. He knew, if he could avoid the genocide they would live to fight another day. He signed the Poona pact and genocide was avoided. His people survived and lived but are they today effectively fighting for the same cause? They cannot, unless they know who they were and really are. The million dollar question is, “How many SCs know that in order to win the right to seperate electorate, Dr Ambedkar had to prove they are NOT Hindu?”

How hard are the SCs working (fighting), to convince other SCs of this fact? They ALL need to know this. 

Even after knowing this history, if the SCs continue to call themselves Hindus and at the same time avail reservations in the name of "castes" (professions) that were scheduled, they will only prove it to themselves that they are the greatest hypocrites in modern India and traitors to Dr. Ambedkar and his mission, forcing themselves to remain slaves with the phoney Hindu tag, proving "Gandhi is the greatest enemy the untouchables ever had in India."

 Author: Shekhar Bodhakar

(More on Alliance against Gandhi Statues:- What are some UNDENIABLE TRUTHS ABOUT M. K. GANDHI revealed by AAGS Alliance Against Gandhi Statues)

ALSO READ:

1. What is the exact meaning of Hindi word, “Dalit”?

2. QUESTION 9: Why should Hindu Identity be given up?

3. Why the scheduled castes and tribes are not Hindu?

4. QUESTION 4: What is the difference between Neo dalits and Pseudo Dalits?

5. What is the meaning of the word Hindu?

6. QUESTION 7: Who are the biggest hypocrites in modern India?