Vol. 17, Part II · pages 246–250

13 REACTIONS TO THE BRITISH CABINET PLAN DR. AMBEDKAR’S PROTEST TO CHURCHILL The Cabinet Mission published a “State Paper” on 16th May 1946 making no provisions for safeguarding the interest of the Untouchables. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar had taken serious note of it and written to Mr. Churchill to look into the matter. In response to the letter written by Dr. Ambedkar, Mr. Churchill responded positively. The letter written by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar is as under :Editors . “Mr. Winston Churchill cited the American Declaration of Independence in promising that the Conservative Party “would do its utmost to protect the future of the 60,000,000 Untouchables in India”. “Replying to a protest from Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council, that the British Cabinet Mission’s Proposals for an Independent Indian Government were a shameful betrayal” of the cause of the Untouchables, the Opposition Leader told Dr. Ambedkar in a telegram : “We shall take our stand on the broad principles set forth in the American Declaration of Independence that all men are born free and equal and entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The text of Dr. Ambedkar’s message ran : “The Cabinet Mission’s proposals are a shameful betrayal of the cause of sixty millions of Untouchables. No representation in the Constitutent Assembly, no representation in the Advisory Committee, no protection by treaty, will mean handing over the Untouchables, bound hand and foot. Untouchables all over India are grateful to you for your speech in Parliament. The future of Untouchables is very dark. We depend upon you for safeguarding their interest.” Mr. Churchill replied, “You may ensure that the Conservative Party, will do its utmost to protect the future of sixty million Untouchables whose melancholy depression by their co-religionists constituted one of the gravest features in the problem of the Indian sub-continent. We shall take our stand on the broad principles set forth in the American Declaration of Independence that all men are born free and equal and entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.1 zz 1: Jai Bheem dated 18th June 1946

14 I AM FIGHTING FOR RIGHTS OF SCHEDULED CASTES TELEGRAM TO PRIME MINISTER ATLEE-LONDON The Cabinet Mission had recommended inadequate representation of Scheduled Castes in the interim Government for India. Dr. B. R. Ambedker sent a telegram to Mr. Atlee then Prime Minister of the Great Britain : Editors. At time of last year’s Simla Conference Viceroy on my protest and with consent of Home Government promised increase Scheduled Castes’s representation in Interim Government to two seats in Council of fourteen stop I had demanded three stop Compromise I accepted two stop. New proposals interim Government announced yesterday give Scheduled Castes only one seat stop. This gross breach of solemn promise given after due deliberation stop. One seat most unfair stop Mission is treating sixty million Untouchables as being equal to four millions Sikhs, three million Christians in matter of representation stop Scheduled Caste nominee does not represent Scheduled Castes, is elected entirely by Hindu Votes and is creature of Congress stop Representation to Scheduled Castes Congressman is no representation to Scheduled Castes stop. It is representation to Congress stop Cabinet Mission heaping upon Scheduled Castes one wrong after another, bent on sacrificing them with view appease Congress and desrtoying their independent position in public life of country stop. Please intervene and redress wrong by directing Mission to give Scheduled Castes two seats to be filled by nominees of Federation which Mission knows alone represents Scheduled Castes stop Scheduled Castes insist on two seats or none stop. To avoid misunderstanding of my motive I like to state that I have no desire to be in Interim Government and will stand out stop I am fighting for rights of Scheduled Castes stop. Hope there is some sense of justice left in British Government—Dr. Ambedkar Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Dated 17-6-1946. 22, Prithviraj Road, New Delhi. zz 1. Quoted, Khairmode, Vol. 8, P. 73 and LP&j. and LP& j/10/50: Pp 81-8 and Atlee Papers, University College, Oxford.

15 DOES THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS REPRESENT THE UNTOUCHABLES OF INDIA ? Since the Cabinet Mission did not provide proper representation and safeguards to the Untouchables in its proposal, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar sent a memorandum to Mr. Atlee, Mr. Churchill and other Leaders of the Labour Party immediately after issuing the telegram. The text of this memorandum is as follows……Editors. A Critique of the Proposals of the Cabinet Mission for Indian Constitutional Changes in so for as they affect the Scheduled Castes (Untouchables) by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar The Cabinet Mission sent out to India by the Labour Government early this year to resolve the political deadlock in India set out a Scheme for the framing of the constitution by a Constituent Assembly. This Constituent Assembly is to be composed of representatives chosen by the members of the Provincial Legislatures by a single transferable vote. For the purpose of the composition of the Constituent Assembly the Cabinet Mission’s Scheme has divided the members of the provincial legislatures into three categories (1) Muslims (2) Sikhs and (3) General, each with a fixed quota of seats. Each category has a Separate Electorate whereby the Muslim representatives of the Constituent Assembly will be elected by the Muslim members of the Provincial Legislature, the Sikhs by the Sikh members and the General by all the rest. The ‘general’ includes (1) Hindus, (2) Scheduled Castes, (3) Indian Christians, and (4) Anglo-Indians. 2. The Scheduled Castes of India were greatly surprised to find that they were lumped together with the Hindus. It has been declared time and again by His Majesty’s Government that His Majesty’s Government recognizes that the Scheduled Castes are separate element in the national life of India and that His Majesty’s Government will not impose any constitution to which the Scheduled Castes are not willing party. The question is asked

226 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES why the Cabinet Mission recognized the Muslims and the Sikhs as separate elements and why they refused to give the Scheduled Castes the same status ? In the debate that took place in Parliament on the 18th of July 1946 on the proposals of the Cabinet Mission, Sir Stafford Cripps, Mr. Alexander and Lord Pethick-Lawrence tried to defend themselves against this criticism, Their argument was two-fold :— (1) That, in the elections to the Provincial Legislature which took place in February last, the seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes were captured by the Congress and that this shows that the Scheduled Castes were with the Congress and trusted their destiny to the Congress i.e. the Hindus and that there was no ground for separating them. (2) That, there is to be an Advisory Committee on the minorities in which the Scheduled Castes will be represented and will have a voice in the framing of the safeguards necessary for them. The second defence is worse than useless. The reasons are obvious. The status and powers of the Advisory Committee are not defined. The quantum of representation of the Scheduled Castes is not prescribed. The decisions of the Advisory Committee are left to be carried by a bare majority. Lastly, the Advisory Committee cannot be anything else than a mere reflection of the Constituent Assembly. The representatives of the Scheduled Castes in the Constituent Assembly all belong to the Congress Party and they do not represent the Scheduled Castes. They are, therefore, subject to the Mandate of the Congress Party. Those of them who will be put in the Advisory Committe will be subject to the same Party Mandate. They cannot put forth the real point of view of the Scheduled Castes either in the Constituent Assembly or on the Advisory Committee. The principal line of defence used by the members of the Cabinet Mission in justification of their failure to give the Scheduled Castes separate and independent representation is that the Congress won the Scheduled Caste seats in the last election. Even, this line of defence cannot stand. It is true that in the final election the Congress did capture the Scheduled Castes seats. But the reply is

227DOES THE . . . . . . OF INDIA ? that this election results should not have been taken as the test for various reasons. Firstly, the parties such as the Scheduled Castes who had co-operated with the British Government were at a discount with the people on that very account. Secondly, the trial of the Indian National Army men which synchronized with the election placed the Congress at an advantage and other parties at a disadvantage. If the Indian National Army trial had not been staged at the time of the election the Congress would have lost completely, so low was its stock. Apart from these two reasons why the election results should not have been as a test, there is a special reason why it should not have been taken to detemine whether the Congress did or did not represent the Scheduled Castes. That reason is that the final elevation for the Scheduled Castes seats is by a system of joint electorate in which the Hindus also vote. The Hindus vote being preponderent it is easy for the Congress to elect a candidate belonging to the Scheduled Castes standing for the Scheduled Castes seats entirely by Hindu votes. That the Scheduled Castes representative in Provincial Legislatures who stood on the Congress ticket were elected solely by Hindu votes and not by the votes of the Scheduled Castes is a fact which even the Cabinet Mission will not be able to deny. The real test by which to determine whether the Congress represents the Scheduled Castes is to examine the results of the Primary Elections which preceded the Final Elections, for in the Primary Election the Scheduled Castes have a Separate Electorate in which the Hindus have no right to vote. The Primary Election, therefore, reflects the real sentiments of the Scheduled Castes. What does the result of the Primary Election show ? Does it show that the Scheduled Castes are with the Congress ? The Scheduled Castes have been allotted 151 seats in the Provincial Legislatures. They are distributed among the different Provinces except Sindh and the North-West Frontier Province. Primary Election is not obligatory. It becomes obligatory only if there are more than four candidates contesting for a seat. In the last Primary Election which preceded the Final Election, Primary Election became obligatory in 40 constituencies out of 151.