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DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
the servile classes of this country. Further illustrations of this attitude of the governing class and the Congress High Command can be found from incidents that have taken place in the election campaigns. They are so relevant and so revealing that a special mention must be made of them.
Ever since 1919 when Mr. Gandhi captured the Congress, Congressmen have looked upon the boycott of Legislature as one of the sanctions for making the British Government concede the demand for Swaraj. Under this policy, every time there was an election in which the Congress decided not to take part, the Congress would not only refuse to put candidates on the Congress ticket but would carry on propaganda against any Hindu proposing to stand for election as an independent candidate. One need not quarrel over the merits of such a policy. But what were the means adopted, by the Congress to prevent Hindus standing on an independent ticket? The means adopted were to make the legislatures objects of contempt. Accordingly, the Congress in various Provinces started processions carrying placards saying “who will go in the Legislatures ? Only barbers, cobblers, potters and sweepers.” In the processions one man would utter the question as part of the slogan and the whole crowd would repeat as answer the second part of the slogan. When Congressmen found that this was not enough to deter persons from standing for the elections, they decided to adopt sterner measures. Believing that respectable people would not be prepared to stand for election if they felt certain that they would have to sit with barbers, potters and sweepers, etc. in the legislatures, the Congress actually went to the extent of putting up candidates from these despised communities on the Congress ticket and got them elected. A few illustrations of this outrageous conduct of the Congress may be mentioned. In the 1920 election, the Congress elected a cobbler [1] in the Central Provinces Legislature. In the 1930 election, they elected in the Central Provinces two cobblers [2], one milkman [3] and one barber [4] and in the Punjab one sweeper [5] . In 1934, the Congress elected a potter [6] to the Central Legislature. It might be said that this
1 Faguwa Rohidas.
2 Guru Gosain Agamdas and Balaraj Jaiswar.
3 Chunnu.
4 Arjunlal
5 Bansi Lal Chaudhari.
6 Bhagat Chandi Mal Gola.