Vol. 17, Part I · pages 266–270

241HINDUS.........DEPRESSED CLASSES What the consequences of conversion will be to the country as a whole is well worth bearing in mind. Conversion to Islam or Chistianity will denationalise the Depressed Classes. If they go to Islam the number of Muslims will be doubled and the danger of Muslim domination also becomes real. If they go to Christianity, the numerical strength of Christians becomes five to six crores. It will help to strengthen the hold of the British on this country. On the other hand, if they embrace Sikhism they will not harm the destiny of the country but they will help the destiny of the country. They will not be denationalised. On the contrary they will be a help in the political advancement of the country. Thus it is in the interest of the country that the Depressed Classes, if they are to change their faith, should go over to Sikhism. The third question is, if it is in the interest of the Hindus, that the Depressed Classes should go over to Sikhism, are the Hindus prepared to make Sikhism as good an alternative to the Depressed Classes as Islam or Christianity is? If they are, then obviously they must try to remove the difficulties which lie in the way of Sikhism, as compared with Islam and Christianity. The deficiencies are financial, social and political. The Hindus cannot help Sikhs to remove the social difficulty. But they can certainly help the Sikhs to remove the financial and political difficulties. Of these, it is most urgent to remove the political difficulty, because it might become an obstacle in the way of the Sikhs. The solution of the political difficulty is fortunately a very small matter. All that is necessary is to add to the list of Scheduled Castes in each Province, other than the Punjab, the word ‘Sikh’ as that of a person from the Depressed Classes who becomes a convert to Sikhism will not lose his political rights, that he would have had if he remained a Depressed Class. Under the Communal Award, communities have been given the liberty to agree to any change in the Award and the government has bound itself to alter the Award in accordance with the agreement. This change can, therefore, easily be brought about if the Hindus so desire by mutual agreement with the Depressed Classes. This does not involve any radical change in the Poona Pact. It does not

242 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES require any apportionment of seats. The seats assigned to the Depressed Classes under the Poona Pact will remain the same. The only change that will be introduced is that non-Sikh Depressed Classes and the Depressed Classes who have gone to Sikhism will both be free to compete. It merely removes a difficulty from the Depressed Classes who become Sikhs. Those Hindus who might oppose this suggestion must answer the following questions : 1. The seats assigned to the Depressed Classes under the Poona Pact cannot come back to the Hindus. They will go to the Muslims or Christians if the Depressed Classes become Muslims or Christians because if by conversion of the Depressed Classes the population of the Muslims or Christians increases then the Muslims and Christians are bound to ask for increased representation in the legislature. Thus, if these seats are to go, why not allow these seats to go to the Sikhs ? 2. If under the Constitution the Depressed Classes cannot lose political rights by becoming a Muslim or a Christian why should a Depressed Class on becoming a Sikh be made to lose his political rights? This is placing a premium on conversion to Islam and Christianity, and penalty on conversion to Sikhism. This is driving the Depressed Classes to the Muslim or Christian folds. Is it in the interest of the Hindus to allow this to be so? 3. It may be that the Depressed Classes will not lose their political rights by becoming converts to Sikhism, because even under the Poona Pact the Scheduled Castes Order-inCouncil, their rights to special representation is not made dependent upon their professing the Hindu religion. Their representation is made dependent upon their being members of certain castes and tribes. But why give the Sikhs cause for complaint and create bad blood against the Hindus? 4. The proposal to add Sikhs to the list of Scheduled Castes in the different provisions for political recognition cannot be said to be strong proposal. On the other hand, not to give such a recognition would appear queer.

243HINDUS.........DEPRESSED CLASSES If Sikhs in the Punjab can be recognised for political purposes, why should Sikhs in other provinces not be so recognised? If the Depressed Classes of the Punjab can not lose their rights on becoming Sikhs, why should the fate of the Depressed Classes in other Provinces on becoming Sikhs be made different?” zz For reaction on this statement by Dr. Moonje, Mr. Raja, Mahatma Gandhi and others see Appendix- X.—Editors.

12 RIGHTS NOT AFFECTED IN THE EVENT OF CONVERSION “Talk of the possibility of the Depressed Classes having to forego their political privileges under the Poona Pact in the event of their leaving the Hindu Community is discounted by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who regards it as a Congress stunt to frighten him and his party from contesting the elections. “I have evidence in my possession to show that it is a Congress stunt calculated to frighten me and my party from contesting the forthcoming elections and to coerce us into remaining within the Hindu fold.” This is Dr. Ambedkar’s reaction to the reports current in the city that the resolutions of the Yeola and Bombay conferences of the Depressed Classes and Dr. Ambedkar’s own declared intention to renounce Hinduism must militate against the enjoyment by the Depressed Classes of the privileges secured under the Poona Pact. Dr. Ambedkar is inclined to laugh at these reports as they are, in his opinion, based on ignorance of the constitutional position and of the provisions of the Communal Award as amended by the Poona Pact. The original provision of the Communal Award in respect of the Depressed Classes was that they should vote in the general constituencies, but in order to ensure adequate representation to them special seats were to be allotted to them the basis of this provision was a separate electroate for the Depressed Classes. The Poona Pact, briefly put, substituted joint electorates with the Hindu community for separate electorates for the Depressed Classes. In order to ensure that the representatives of the Depressed Classes carried the confidence of their community with them, a device for a primary election by the community itself was evolved; the electorate of the joint Hindu community was to make its choice from among the panel of four candidates for each seat selected by the voters on the list of the Depressed Classes.

245RIGHTS NOT...................CONVERSION Poona Pact: Hindus’ Contention The main point urged by the Hindu community now is that the circumstances in which the Poona Pact was evolved presumed without doubt that the Depressed Classes would remain as part of the Hindu community. Mr. Gandhi’s fast, which was solely responsible for the Pact, was undertaken in order to prevent the dismemberment of the Hindu community, which it was feared would result from the allotment of a separate electorate to the Depressed Classes. It is argued that the Hindu community has made sacrifices under the Poona Pact and has surrendered some of the seats allotted to it under the original Award solely with the object of allaying the fears of the Depressed Classes and retaining them within the Hindu fold. Since then, however, a section of the Depressed Classes under the leadership of Dr. Ambedkar has resolved to renounce the Hindu faith. The Bombay Mahar Conference, for instance, resolved that after thorough consideration the conference:— (a) “declares that a change of religion is the only remedy for the Mahar community to attain equality and freedom, (b) “assures Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, their accredited leader, that the community is prepared to change its religion en masse, and (c) “urges on the Mahar community, as a preliminary step towards the change of religion, to refrain henceforth from worshiping Hindu deities to put a stop to the observance of Hindu festivals and to put a stop to visiting Hindu holy places.” Orthodox View This resolution, according to orthodox Hindu opinion, leaves no doubt as to the intentions of the Mahars vis-a-vis the Hindu community and they cannot therefore complain if they are denied the electoral privileges conceded to them by the Hindus on the implicit understanding that they would remain Hindus. In other words, as a Congress leader said recently, “they cannot have it both ways. Either they are Hindus and enjoy the privileges