364 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
The Scheduled Castes, he said, were not asking for a territorial division like the Muslims. All that they wanted was a fair deal. For centuries they had been suppressed, but now they refused to be exploited.
All that they wanted was equal political rights and no Patronage. If the Congress felt that their demands were not just, then let the matter be referred to an impartial international tribunal. He was prepared to abide by the verdict of such a tribunal.
Dr. Ambedkar added they were prepared to make every sacrifice in the attainment of their object. Let not the Congress or any other political organisation try to frighten them. During the primary elections to the Legislative Assembly in Bombay a Sechduled Castes voter was killed. Dr. Ambedkar fastened the responsibility for the death on the Congress and condemned the police lathi charges on the funeral procession of the murdered voter.
The Congress, Dr. Ambedkar observed, was out to dominate the entire political field in the country and in that attempt it even stooped to bribery. The Congress patronised individuals and tried to undermine organisations like the Scheduled Castes Federation.
But the Federation was now strong enough to resist such attempts and was gaining more and more strength. They would not have anything to do with the Hindus until their political rights were granted.
Dr. Ambedkar said that in the last few days one heard speeches by Congressmen giving the impression that if a national Government were set up at the Centre, the food situation would be solved. Surely, the Congressmen could not perform a miracle. All this talk of solving the food situation was empty talk, as if the replacement of a few members of the Executive Council by the Hindus was all that was necessary.