I AM...................RIVERS 417
neither power nor money. Our people are in minority in the villages and they have always to live at the mercy of the Caste Hindus and other high caste people. Our people are put to all sorts of hardships and when they complain to police authorities, they are not heard. They are even abused when they complain. Under such circumstances, if we have achieved any thing, it is only some political rights. If we unite under the banner of the Scheduled Castes Federation, we can realise those rights and pull our community out of chaos.
But we can have one power and that is the political power. This power we must win. Armed with this power, we can protect the interest of our people.
Are you assured of this power in the freedom this country has gained ? We were never against our country getting independence. But we wanted a straight answer to only one question. What will be our fate in free India ? I posed that question before Gandhiji and other Congress leaders. Only one question is that what will be the position of our people in Swaraj ? Whether we will remain the same Bhangis and Chamars as we are today; whether our children will not be admitted to the schools in the same way as it being done now; and our people will have to suffer as they are suffering now in the villages ? What will happen to our people? At the Round Table Conference, this question was again raised whether we want Swaraj or not, I asked Gandhi who was the sponsor of this move, the same question that what will he do for the poor people if India got Swaraj. Whether we will be given safeguards as are proposed to be provided for Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Anglo-Indians. But when the Scheduled Castes people were given separate rights in 1932, Gandhi started fast unto death until this provision of Separate Electorates for the Scheduled Castes was repealed. At that time, an agreement was reached between us but what is happening today is quite different to what was agreed to. He promised at that time that no candidates on Congress tickets will be put against those of the Scheduled Castes Federation. We want to send our people for the reserved seats but Congress Party is interfering with it. They are trying to put people for our