YOU HAVE................YOU HAVE 225
concede our just demands. All that I say is that you must unite in the Union, and that fact, combined with the competent and energetic leadership you have in the Managing Committee will do the rest of the job.
Dr. Ambedkar then referred to the position secured by the Depressed Classes in the political life of the country as a result of unity and said that this class which had no political status ten years ago ranked equal with the Congress and the League to-day because of unity.
Finally he exhorted the Depressed Classes in general to enroll themselves in the Assembly electoral roll.
In this connection he recalled how in the last Assembly elections in the constituency from which he contested (North Bombay) there were only 8,000 Harijans against
48,000 caste Hindu voters and he almost felt that he had tied a halter round his neck in standing from such a constituency. The Depressed Class voters, however, rallied to the polling booth to a man and achieved what was a miracle in electioneering.
Mr. D. V. Pradhan, General Secretary of the Union, read at the outset the annual report which recorded a year of all round progress.
Resolutions passed :
Resolutions demanding increase in dearness allowance by one rupee and making the allowance applicable to all workers getting upto Rs. 75 per month; urging on the committee appointed by the Corporation to report on the housing and living conditions of Municipal labour to expedite its report; and making some minor changes in the constitution of the Union, were then moved and sanctioned by the general body. Among the speakers on the resolutions were Messrs M. V. Donde, M. Kavli and G. M. Jadhav.
A new Managing Committee with Dr. Ambedkar as President and Messrs M. V. Donde and S. B. Keni, as Vice-Presidents was then elected on the proposition moved by Mr. D. V. Pradhan.