534 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
is called ‘Nag-pur’ means the city of Nagas. There is a Nagarjun Hill about 27 miles from this place. The river flowing nearby is Nag river. Obviously this river got this name because of the people living here. The river which flows through the habitation of the Naga people is the Nag river. This is the main reason to select this place-Nagpur. There is no question of irritating anybody nor the intention. The reason of the R. S. S. even did not touch my mind. Nobody should interpret in that way.
Opposition, could perhaps be for other reasons. I have already explained that this place has not been choosen for antagonism. I have been criticised by many people and newspapers for the initiation of this mission. The criticisms of some is harsh. In their opinion I am misleading my poor Untouchables. They are misguiding some of our people by telling that those who are Untouchables today will remain Untouchables and the rights they have got, they will lose it. They advise illiterate people among us to follow the traditional path. This might be influencing some of the young and elder among us. If, by that the doubts have been arisen in the minds of people, it is our duty to clear those doubts and the clearing of those doubts will strength then the foundation of our movement.
In the past we had a movement for not to eat meat. The touchables thought it as if a thunderbolt of lightening for them. Isn’t this a strange practice that they should drink the milk of living buffalo and we should carry its carcass on our shoulder after its death. We ask them why don’t you allow us to carry your dead mother ? They should give us their dead mother as they give us their dead buffalo. Some one some time wrote in the ‘Kesari’ through correspondence that in certain villages 50 cattle died every year, Rs. 500 could be earned from their hides, horns, hoovers, meat, bones and tails; and leaving aside the matter of meat of dead animals, these people would be deprived of that profit, such propaganda was made through ‘Kesari’. Really speaking what was the necessity of replying to such propaganda. Our people felt that what our Saheb (leader) is doing if he is not replying such propaganda ?
Once I had been to Sangamner for meeting. The arrangement for the dinner was made. That time a reporter from ‘Kesari’ sent me a chit and asked, “You are advising your people not to carry dead animals. How poor they are ! Their women do not