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TRADE UNIONS MUST ENTER POLITICS TO PROTECT THEIR INTERESTS
A Conference of all the ‘Untouchable’ workers of the ‘Great Indian Peninsula’ (GIP) Railways was held at Manmad on
12th & 13th February 1938. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar consented to be the Chair person for this Conference and accordingly an informative handbill was circulated among all the branches of GIP Railways.
This Conference was planned to discuss the problems faced by the ‘Untouchable’ workers in the Railways due to the practice of Untouchability. It was also planned to discuss the pitiable condition of these Untouchables and their families’, in spite of the Railway being one of the richest and strongest organizations in India.
To make this Conference a success, the workers from Manmad, Bhusawal, Kalyan, Igatpuri, Nandgaon, Dound, Solapur, Thane and Mumbai had discussed this issue with Dr. B. R. Ambedkar previously. To this, there was positive response from Delhi, Allahabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jabalpur, Raipur etc.
An appeal was made to make this Conference a grand success. Shri R. R. Pawar, who was well known amongst the ‘Untouchable’ Railway workers, was the general secretary of this Conference.
It appears from the correspondence between Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and Shri R.R. Pawar, General Secretary, ‘Dalit Workers Confer ence’, Manmad, that due to unavoidable circumstances Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was unable to attend the Conference on 29th & 30th January 1938 and instead, he himself suggested 12th & 13th February 1938 (Saturday and Sunday) for this Conference. This correspon dence was included in the handbill of the Conference.
A huge pandal was erected for this Conference on the open land of Mr. Ibrahim Tajbhai Sheth, just near the Manmad Railway Station and was named as ‘Dalit-Kamagar (workers) Nagar’.