30 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
“Maharashtra’s Mind
For some weeks past Dr. Ambedkar and the Satyagraha Conference of Untouchables at Mahad have been the subject of much adverse comment not only in the Orthodox Hindu Press but also in journals that are definitely committed to the removal of Untouchability. Most of the Marathi journals came under the second variety and may generally speaking be divided into three classes, viz, N. C. O., Responsivist and Non-Brahman. The principal points that these journals make in their attacks against Dr. Ambedkar and his friends are (1) his alleged excess of burning the Manusmriti, and
(2) his alleged acquiescence in the Kolaba Collector’s order to stop Satyagraha. In the whole controversy there are many other charges and countercharges made against either party, but they are not very material. Dr. Ambedkar has now published in “ Bahishkrit-Bharat ” quite a lengthy account of the Conference and met the charges made against him. He does not fight shy of the first accusation against him and defends it by saying that in as much Manusmriti ordains and sanctifies the age-long oppression and exploitation of the Untouchable Hindus by the socalled High-Class Hindus, this main source of present day Hindu law deserves to be burnt. While meeting the second charge, Dr. Ambedkar takes the wind out of the sails of his opponents when he states that no gagging order was ever passed against and therefore there never arose any question of disobeying it. All that he did, he was pursuaded to postpone the Satyagraha to a later day by the Collector of Kolaba and he did entirely in the interests of the Satyagrahis and the Untouchables. He leaves perfect liberty to his critics to say anything against him on this distinct ground.” [1]
“ The case, Hindu versus Untouchables regarding ownership of Chawdar Tank was fixed for hearing on
12th January 1928 in the Court of Second Class SubJudge; Mahad. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar started preparation for pleading the case. He wrote a letter on 24th January 1928 to Advocate Markand Dattatraya Vaidya to
1 : The Bombay Chronicle, dated 27th February 1928.