374 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Government of India such remedies as lie in the hands of the Government of East Punjab. So far all care and attention has been bestowed by the Government of India on the problem of the Muslims. The problem of Scheduled Castes has either been supposed not to exist, or deemed to be so small as not to require special attention. Although some people do not like to mention the problem of the Scheduled Castes nonetheless those of us who are concerned with the Scheduled Castes know that: the problem exists and it is such more acute than the problem of the Muslims. Many a times I had thought of drawing the attention of the public to the neglect by the Government of India of the problem of the Scheduled Caste refugees both in Pakistan and in India. For obvious reasons I have refrained from doing so. Owing to your pre-occupation with other matters, I have made no complaint regarding your silence about this question. But I am afraid time has come when I must insist upon your giving personal attention to this problem by issuing directions to the Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation and to the Minister without Portfolio to relieve the Scheduled Castes of their sufferings either by adopting the remedies I have suggested in this letter or by devising better remedies to effectuate the purposes I have set out. I shall be grateful if you will give this matter your immediate attention.
Yours sincerely,
(Sd/)—B.R. AMBEDKAR.
The Hon’ble Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, New Delhi.” [1]
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru responded to the abovementioned letter thus :
“Prime Minister, P.M. India. New Delhi, The 25th December 1947.
My dear Dr. Ambedkar,
I have your letter of the 18th December about the evacuation of Scheduled Caste people from Pakistan to India.
1 : Reprinted, Khairmode, Vol. 10, Pp. 26-32.