154 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
and have not taken many from other castes. Frankly speaking it would not be wise at this stage to go into the reasons for doing so. But those who have founded a so called Nationalist Harijan Party have levelled this charge against me and opened this issue. This allegation has to be refuted and an appropriate reply has to be given to them. I have chosen a name for this organisation of so called nationalist ‘Harijans’. I call them ‘lay bhagoo’ lifters or pick run thieves.
I have not expelled or excluded anybody from the party mainly owing to his being a member of the Chambhar caste. They are free to think whatever they like. This does not bother me very much. In not selecting these ‘Harijans’ as candidates for the ensuing election to the Legislative Assembly it was mainly this ‘pick and run’ habit of these people which was responsible for their exclusion. They would go anywhere like beggars after alms. They have no respect for principles, party discipline and ideologies. ‘Grab’, ‘pocket’ and ‘make off with whatever they can lay their hands on has been their only principle.
We launched Mahad Satyagraha. We started the movement for self-respect and self-reliance. We also launched another struggle at Nashik. Not in the distant past, before the Poona Pact was signed, putting our lives in jeopardy we fought against Gandhi for our rights and political safeguards. These so called ‘Nationalist Harijans’ were comfortably perched in the camp of our enemies. If these scroungers now want a share in our success for which they have neither struggled nor co-operated with us, why should we show any generosity towards such people now? I do not care for the criticism of the people who choose to survive like bats. Not only this, even before the Poona Pact when Gandhiji staked his life, these very people rose in support of his stand and declared that they did not want any reservation of seats for the Depressed Classes to save Gandhi’s life. Then, what right these people have to ask for a share now in the seats which had been won through our struggle. The chief leader of the so called Nationalist Harijans Shri Narayan Kajrolkar will one day be found sitting in the ranks of Dr. Savarkar. Shri P. Baloo will be found clinging for a seat in the camp of ‘patriots’ like Shri Vallabh Bhai Patel.