66
WATANDARI, A CURSE TO MAHARS
“Dr. B. R. Ambedkar presided over a meeting of about
4,000 persons which was held at Sinnar, Nasik district, on August 16th, 1941. Dr. Ambedkar stated that in accordance with the decision of the Haregaon Conference in December
1939, a memorial had been submitted to His Excellency the Governor of Bombay, but to no effect. He alleged that Mahars and Mangs had not been accorded equality of treatment with other watandars but that the Judi tax on their watan lands had been increased. He, therefore, advised Mahars and Mangs to resist the collection of the increased tax and not to relinquish possesstion of their lands under any circumstances.” [1]
However, there were additional dimensions in the speech of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on the subject which were reported by the Bombay Chronicle. The dimensions were :
“Thundering speeches calling upon the Mahar, Mang and Vethia watandars of Maharashtra to resist by every means within their power the collection of the additional land revenue levied on watan lands, characterised the mass meeting of the watandars held here last night under the Presidentship of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.”
Decision to resist the collection of the tax was a logical sequel to them.
“During my entire public career I have remained consistently loyal to the British Government in India,” said Dr. Ambedkar in the course of his Presidential address.
“I have been loyal to the British because the . . . . . Depressed Classes, surrounded by enemies on all sides, could not afford to fight on all the fronts at the same time. I, therefore, decided to fight the two thousand year old-tyranny and oppression of the caste Hindus and to secure social equality for the Depressed Classes before everything else.”
1 : The Bombay Secret Abstract, dated 23rd August 1941.