898 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
presented to him by the suffering masses, the untouchables. That is the first comment that I have to make over the nature of the report submitted to us by the Commissioner.
It is quite clear that in such cases as have been referred to by the Commissioner, there have been many violations of the law, and there have been an endless series of tyrannies and oppressions practised upon the Scheduled Castes. This is a matter which, I suppose, is a matter which is within the portfolio of the Home minister. To what extent are the laws made especially for the Scheduled Castes or the general laws made for all people respected, and to what extent are the breaches committed punished ? Sir, on the first day, when the Hon. Home Minister presented the Report to the House, I happened unfortunately to come a little late. But I did catch him towards the end of his speech. And the impression that was left upon me, of the speech that he had made, was that what he had said was said in a spirit not merely of lightheartedness, but—he will forgive me if I say this—with a certain amount of levity. He asked: What is the use of prosecuting people ? People will begin to do Satyagrah, people will begin to do all sorts of things. Therefore, let us not rely upon what might be called the vindication of the law. Well, if that is the attitude of the Home Ministry, then of course nothing can be expected. The lawlessness, which is being practised continously for thousands of years against the Scheduled Castes, has been lawful, and will continue to be lawful, because it is impossible for the Scheduled Caste people themselves to come forward to prosecute the breaker of the law. As the Commissioner has said, the Scheduled Caste people are economically so subservient to, so dominated by the caste Hindus, that it is quite impossible for them to come forward to challenge the very people on whom they depend for their economic livelihood.
That is an admission which the Commissioner has been making from the very beginning. It occurs in his first report, it occurs in his second report and he repeats it in his third report that it is useless to depend upon the Scheduled Castes themselves to vindicate their rights. They have neither the