314 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Every body expected that Mr. Gandhi would be more interested in seeing that the constitution that was likely to emerge from these deliberations and negotiations was a constitution which gave India Purna Swaraj i.e. complete independence and he would not interest himself in so unimportant a subject as the allocation of seats among the different minorities. But events completely falsified these hopes. Mr. Gandhi completely gave up his fight against British Imperialism altogether. He forgot that he had come with a mandate [1] to secure a constitution which contained Purna Swaraj. He left that issue and started fighting the minorities and what is so strange he concentrated all his fire upon the representatives of the Untouchables for daring to put forth the claim for special representation. Mr. Gandhi opposed tooth and nail the representatives of the Depressed Classes. He was not even prepared to look at their claim. He was annoyed at their impudence and the whole Conference was astonished by his opposition. They could not understand how a man like Mr. Gandhi who posed himself as the friend of the Untouchables could in fact be so great an enemy of their interests. His friends were completely baffled. Mr. Gandhi was prepared to recognize a similar right claimed by the Musalmans and to the Sikhs and although he was not prepared to recognize a similar claim by Christians, Europeans and Anglo-Indians he was not going to oppose their claim. Mr. Gandhi’s friends could not understand how he could deny a similar right to the Untouchables. The Mohamedans, Sikhs, Christians, Europeans and Anglo-Indians were far better off than the Untouchables. The former were economically far better placed. The latter were poorest of the poor. The former were educationally advanced, the latter were educationally most backward. The former were socially well respected, the latter were socially despised. The former enjoyed a position of free citizens. The latter were suffering from certain disabilities. The former were not subjected to social tyranny and social boycott but social tyranny and social boycott were the every day lot of the latter. Having regard to this difference in status there could never be any doubt that if there was any section of the Indian people whose case called forth
1 The following resolution embodies the mandate which the Congress imposed upon
Mr. Gandhi when he was chosen by the Congress as its delegate. (This was a resolution
passed at the Karachi Congress).
“This Congress, having considered the provisional settlement between the Working
Committee and the Government of India, endorses it, and desires to make it clear that
the Congress goal of Purna Swaraj, meaning complete independence, remains intact. In
the event of a way remaining otherwise open to the Congress to be represented at any
conference with the representatives of the British Government, the Congress delegation
will work for this goal, and in particular so as to give the nation control over the army,
external affairs, finance, fiscal and economic policy, and to have a scrutiny by an impartial
tribunal of the financial transactions of the British Government in India, and to examine
and assess the obligations to be undertaken by India or England and the right to either
party to end the partnership at will; provided, however, that the Congress delegation will
be free to accept such adjustments as may be demonstrably necessary in the interests
of India.”