356 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
why the Hindus should find any difficulty in absorbing them socially in their fold. It can’t prevent them from having intermarriage or inter-dinning and, therefore, the whole attitude of the Congress towards the demand of the Scheduled Castes for separate representation is marked by ignorance and obstinacy.”
Commenting on a recent statement made by Rev, Gordon Livingston in which he suggested Untouchables should embrace Christianity rather than Islam, Dr. Ambedkar made the following observations :
HINDUISM ’ S SHORTCOMINGS
“The thinking section among the Untouchables are convinced that Hinduism, as it exists today, does not furnish to the Untouchables the sort of spiritual home and social communion which religion is intended to furnish to men.
“Secondly, the thinking portion of the Scheduled Castes is of the opinion that it is not easy to uproot humanity as one can uproot and transplant from one soil and to another. It is a difficult operation and cannot be treated as adventure. It has to be a planned action which would take time to formulate and carry out.
“Thirdly, the Untouchables feel that probably–although they have grave doubts in the matter–Hinduism in the course of time will so reform itself that it may become acceptable, and the Untouchables are, therefore, prepared to stay on where they are, provided that during the interval the Untouchables get enough political safeguards so as to withstand the cruelty oppression and injustice that is inherent in Hinduism and from which they have been suffering all these ages, and from which they apprehend they will suffer more than they have if the Hindu majority obtains calumniated political power in its own hands such as would be the case if India become completely independent. If the Hindus refuse to recognise this situation, and does not grant the Untouchables political safeguards they want, I have no doubt that conversion to some other religion by the Untouchables would become an emergent issue.