13. Conversion Movement sans Selfish Motive - Page 275

13

CONVERSION MOVEMENT SANS SELFISH MOTIVE

Dr. Ambedkar’s comments on Rao Bahadur M. C. Rajah’s statement against conversion of the Untouchables:

At the outset I would like to say that to send this correspondence to the newspapers for publication, is in itself an indecent act on the part of Mr. Rajah. Dr. Moonje had clearly mentioned at the end of his letter that till the final decision regarding conversion, this letter might be treated as personal and confidential. It cannot be believed that this fact did not come to the notice of Mr. Rajah. Mr. Rajah should have sought the permission of Dr. Moonje before releasing the correspondence to the press. This act on the part of Mr. Rajah is ill-becoming of a decent man.

The Untouchables may choose Sikhism for conversion. This fact is known to many of my Hindu friends and such members of the Untouchable community as are seriously interested in the question of conversion of the Untouchables.

The correspondence regarding the possibility of the Untouchables embracing Sikhism, which took place between Rao Bahadur M. C. Rajah and Dr. Moonje has been published in the newspapers. I have gone through it.

There is no reason for Rajah to rejoice that he had exposed some great secret of Dr. Ambedkar. I do not attach any importance to the letters of Mr. Rajah. In my opinion Rajah commands little respect among the Untouchable masses nor do his views regarding conversion have any worth or value. Had I felt that his views had any value at all, I would have co-operated with him to change his mind.

Ignoring Rao Bahadur Rajah, Rao Bahadur Srinivasan and I were invited to the Round Table Conference to represent the Untouchables. This led to heart-burning and animosity against me in the mind of Rajah who has since then been constantly criticising and opposing me.