Ambedkar’s idea of freedom

Mayawati’s rhetoric merits a critical appraisal. Ambedkar is the only reformer after Gautam Buddha who stood like a rock against Hinduism. There are many social reformers of the medieval and modern age but none recommended renunciation of Hinduism. For Ambedkar, political power was a weapon to destroy Hinduism because it is the most effective weapon. Now Mayawati is using this weapon to strengthen the forces of Hindutva.

For a Dalit, political power is a means to defend rights like reservation and other welfare schemes. The BSP has, at no point, either taken up these burning issues itself or supported other Dalit movements. For instance, the Department of Personnel and Training issued five anti-reservation orders in 1997 and, after a great struggle, the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations could get three of the orders withdrawn. The struggle is in progress to protect reservation in the constitution and for securing reservations in the private sector. The odds are enormous: the higher judiciary is hell bent on diluting reservation and the BJP-led government at the Centre is killing reservation in the garb of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation. The sale of public sector undertakings at throwaway prices is not only doing away with reservations but is a plunder of the economy as well. Mayawati has always been critical about the Confederation’s agenda and her coming to power has no relation with these issues. Is her master-key opening the lock for others or for the Dalits?

The draft constitution submitted recently at the instance of this government is an attempt to kill the constitution created by Ambedkar. The present constitution guarantees reservation to the Dalits and protection of the social-cultural rights of minorities. The BSP has never bothered about these life and death issues and, by joining the BJP front, such rights will be obliterated even further. It is only reservation that has helped about four millions Dalits enter government jobs. Is Mayawati’s master key not destroying Ambedkar’s constitution?

NDA allies like TDP, TMC, Lok Janashakti Party, JD(U), and even some BJP leaders, have frowned on the tyrannical rule of Narendra Modi but the BSP has kept quiet on Gujarat. After the debacle in Punjab, Uttaranchal, UP, the BJP started rethinking the agenda that helped it to come to power. The party leadership was wavering but Modi set the churning to rest by reviving the original sangh parivar agenda of hate. Muslims live in sizeable numbers in Andhra Pradesh which propelled the TDP leadership to take a hardline against Modi. In fact, many elements in the NDA feel stifled but are biding their time. Naidu struck at the right time, it was even thought he might leave the NDA, but the BSP’s support held out a lifeline to the BJP. Again, the sangh parivar gained a comfortable position to perpetrate hatred, violence, and slander against Muslims, Christians, Dalits and the poor. Mayawati’s power is strengthening casteist forces instead of destroying them.

When the debate on the presidential election was at a crucial stage, the BSP was the first political party to openly criticise K.R. Narayanan and declare its support to a candidate selected by the Hindutva forces. At one point of time, the situation was quite favourable to Narayanan’s candidature and Mayawati’s stance once again disturbed the equation. For the vice presidential candidate, too, the BSP unilaterally declared its support to the NDA instead of the Dalit candidate, Sushil Kumar Shinde. Did Ambedkar stand for a kind of political power that harms Dalit interests?

The BSP has tried to find justification for its political positions in Ambedkar’s writings and speeches. But is there anything there that can validate a compromise with Hindutva forces to capture political power? Nobody can object to the BSP forging an alliance with the BJP. But could Mayawati please refrain from misquoting Ambedkar to serve her own interests?

Please Mayawatiji, don’t misquote Ambedkar. Dalits regard Ambedkar as their messiah and you are the leader of the masses. They will, therefore, misread the values Ambedkar stood for. The slogan you gave to the people ‘tilak, tarazu aur talwar/ inko maaro joote chaar’ spoke for the Dalits, Muslims and the backwards. No doubt, you have contributed towards a growing Dalit political consciousness. Undoubtedly, with you as chief minister, Dalit employees and officers will enjoy a more comfortable position, welfare schemes will be geared up, there will be a decline in atrocities on Dalits and, of course, it will give psychological strength to Dalits.

But all these, at what cost? The BJP government at the Centre will kill reservation which will jeopardise the interest of the Dalits of the whole country, including UP. You recently diluted the Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989 in UP, which was the main source of psychological strength for Dalits to fight against discrimination. Even some BJP governments could not do so because it is a central government act and it is beyond the power of state governments to meddle with it. Why is your master key killing the interest of Dalits? Certainly, it is not this key that Ambedkar fought for.

(The writer is chairman, All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations)