RSS Dalit ace for Digvijay now

The book also has several unflattering references to Muslims and this should be cause for concern considering it is to be released at a function to be presided over by Madhya Pradesh Governor Bhai Mahavir.

Says BJP organising general secretary Kaptan Singh Solanki, ‘‘Both the BSP and Congress play politics with the Dalit cause. We want to move beyond this with our Mhow declaration. And, in some ways, the origin of the Dalit cause can be traced to Babasaheb Ambedkar.”

The book’s emphasis on Ambedkar’s views fits in perfectly with the Sangh’s idea of bringing Dalits into the larger Hindu fold while taking care to ensure that no other segment of Hindu society feels alienated.

The book also lays emphasis on the fact that while converting to Buddhism, Ambedkar took care that Dalits did not convert to Islam or Christianity. It also takes care to distance itself from views like Arun Shourie’s in his book Worshipping False Gods which completely reject Ambedkar as someone who was a British puppet and who weakened Hindu society. And, interspersed with this are comments that cast doubts on the loyalty of Muslims towards the country.

The author states, ‘‘… in his personal life, (Balasaheb) has never seemed non-Hindu to a Hindu like me.’’

As for some of Ambedkar’s more extreme views on Hinduism and the caste system, it says: ‘‘Babasaheb’s assertion that Hindu religion is a collection of social and religious rules is unacceptable to the heart and the mind….In the same way, Dr Babasaheb’s belief that caste discrimination is based on religion, religious texts and Brahmin dominance does not meet the test of the reality of the beginning of the 21st Century.’’