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SCHEDULED CASTES MUST DISCARD HINDUISM
“Replying to the welcome addresses by three scheduled castes’ organisations, after the resolutions were disposed of at the Scheduled Castes’ Conference, held at Cawnpore*, on January 31 1944, Dr. Ambedkar set out the role of his community in India of the future and appealed to youths to forge sanctions by developing organisational strength behind the Federation so that no party, not even the British Government would dare refuse to recognise their importance in the future scheme of India’s constitutional development.”
“We must resolve that in a free India of the future we will be a ruling race. We refuse to continue to play a role of subservience or accept a position in which we could be treated as servants, not masters,” declared Dr. Ambedkar.
If and when a Swaraj Government is established in India, he asserted, Hindus, Muslims and the Scheduled Castes, 3 parties in the Country would share the political power.
He visualised the day when it would be possible to guarantee a minimum wage of Rs. 30 a month, provide housing for labour, and pensions as an insurance against old age to the poor.
His answer to those critics, who asked him to join the Congress, was simple, said Dr. Ambedkar. “I regard as more important the freedom of the scheduled castes in India, the community which has been the victim of domination and oppression for over 2000 years.” He preferred to work for the unlift of his community rather than Swaraj for the country.
Dr. Ambedkar asked the people to ponder over the causes for their sufferings extending over a long period of 2000 years. The Hindu Dharma, he asserted, was the main cause. Of all religions in the world it was Hinduism that recognised caste distinctions and Untouchability. This was the cover, the clock, for all injustices perpetrated on the Scheduled Castes by caste Hindus. The position even today, he regretted to say, was that in villages they could not live with self-respect.
- Kanpur.