240 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
proposals of the British Cabinet mainly on the ground that the British Ministers agreed to ignore the Scheduled Castes. That is what Mr. Gandhi found to be the greatest advantage in the long-term proposals notwithstanding their vicious character, of which Congress leaders themselves have spoken so much recently. The British Government have agreed to sacrifice the Scheduled Castes in order to win over Congress, and this I charge as absolute breach of faith, he asserted.
“We like this country to progress as much as anybody else does. We do not want to stand in the way of that. All we want is that our position is safeguarded in the future India.” [1]
On 21st July 1946 a meeting of Untouchables was convened at Poona in Ahilyashram. After the meeting, Dr. Amebedkar addressed a Press Conference. The report of that Press Conference is as under: Editors.
Future of Scheduled Castes Congress was asked for Blue-Print
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, addressing a Press Conference in Poona today, demanded an open declaration from the Congress how they proposed to safeguard the interests of
60,000,000 Untouchables in the future Constitution of India. He asked for a blue-print and no promises in general terms.
The Satyagraha launched in Poona was only the beginning of a countrywide struggle to secure for the Scheduled Castes their just political rights. He claimed that the Poona Satyagraha was being conducted on a high moral plane and the non-violent behaviour of the whole mass of volunteers provided a lesson even to Mr. Gandhi who regarded himself as a ‘graduate in Satyagraha’. He issued, however, a warning that when moral resources were exhausted they would look for ‘other means’ to register their protest.
Dr. Ambedkar was surprised that the Prime Minister, Mr. B. G Kher should have asked the question ‘What have the Harijans to get against the Bombay Government ?’ The answer was simple.
1 : Reprinted—Jai Bhim : August 13, 1946, Pp-1 and 2