Vol. 17, Part III · pages 216–220

187TRADE UNIONS............INTERESTS on other important and material points. But there is no meaning in a unity where the point on which people agree to differ is so big that the agreement on small and minor points is of no consequence whatsoever. Whatever may be the view of other people I must say that if organized labour avows to eschew politics their labour is doomed. We at any rate must realize that hitherto our efforts have been directed in one channel of social reform and that we had forgotten or partially remembered that there was the necessity of directing our efforts in the channel of economic reform. We must realize that all the evils under which, we suffer have a common origin- namely that those who exercise social and economic dominance over us have taken over in their hands political power which rightly belongs to the labouring classes. To enter politics means the formation of a party. Politics without a party behind it is a futility. There are many politicians who prefer to be independent, to plough their lonely furrow. I am always suspicious of a politician who wants to be independent. If a politician is so independent that he cannot join with anybody then he is useless for any practical purposes. He can achieve nothing. His lonely furrow cannot make even a blade of grass grow. But many a politician who want to be independent desire independence not because their intellectual honesty demands it. They want independence because they want to be free to sell themselves to the highest bidder. It is because of this that they want to be free from the trammels of party discipline. At any rate such has been my experience of many of the politicians who are pursuing the line of independence in politics. Without a party there can be no real effective politics. Question is what party you should join. There are various alternatives. There is the Congress. Should you join the Congress? Will it help the cause of labour ? I have no hesitation in saying that labour should have a separate organization in politics independent of the Congress. I know that this view is opposed by a section of the labour leaders. There is a section represented by the Congress Socialists who would like to have labour organizing itself for the achievement of Socialism but

188 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES the organization must be within the Congress. There is another section- calling itself communist- represented by Mr. Roy which is vehemently opposed to any separate organization by labour or by any class in India either inside or outside the Congress. I am entirely in disagreement with either group. Mr. Roy must be a puzzle to many as he is to me. A communist ! And opposed to separate political organization of labour !! A terrible contradiction in terms !! A point of view which must make Lenin turn in his grave. The only rational justification that one can give for so queer a view is that Mr. Roy looks upon the destruction of Imperialism as the first and foremost aim of Indian politics. In no other way can one read any sense in the view which is being propagated by Mr. Roy. This view would be correct if it could be proved that with the disappearance of Imperialism all vestige of Capitalism will also disappear from India. But it does not require much intelligence to realise that even if the British depart from India, the landlords, the mill-owners, the mony-lenders will remain in India and continue to bleed the people and that even after Imperialism has gone, labour will have to fight these interests just as much. If this is so why should not labour organize from now ! Why should it wait for developing its organization ? I don’t find any answer. The Congress Socialists evidently realize that labour has to fight capitalism as much as Imperialism and therefore agree that labour must organize. But they have put a proviso that any labour organization must be within the Congress. I am not able to understand the virtue or necessity of this compulsory coalition between the Congress and labour. The aim of the Congress Socialist is to bring about Socialism, so they say. How they hope to bring it about, by converting the right wing of the Congress. That is the explanation they give for not going out of the Congress. A more pathetic case involving utter ignorance of human nature cannot be imagined. If socialism is to be the aim then the way to bring it about is to preach it to the masses and organize them for that purpose. Socialism will not come by wooing the classes. That the right wing of the Congress will not tolerate more than a slight dose of socialism is a fact which is becoming clear day by day. Pandit Nehru last year opened a whirl-wind compaign in favour of socialism. The poor

189TRADE UNIONS............INTERESTS man was soon called to order and like a naughty boy was sent to his room, made to live on bread and water and was brought downstairs only on his agreeing to behave well. The Pandit has now completely recanted and has become so much domesticated that he now objects to the red flag which he once waived but which to the right wing in the Congress is an anathema. The right wing of the Congress in Bihar has shown its teeth. Swami Sahajanand, the leader of the Kisan has left the Congress and his colleague Mr. Jaya Prakash Narayan is about to leave. I am told that at the last meeting of the A. I. C. C. held in Bombay the Congress Socialists were charged by the Right wing for indiscipline for preaching socialism from Congress platform and let off a simple admonition as is done with first offenders under the Criminal Procedure Code. Such is the futility of the politics of the Congress Socialists. Indian politics has become wrapped by its reaction to Imperialism. Labour is made to forget its real enemy namely the vested interest. Both the Royists and the Congress Socialist are trading in this quagmire because confusion of thought. Even if Imperialism is to dealt with as the common enemy, it does not mean that all classes must forget class interests and join in one organization. Imperialism could be fought by the different class organizations making a common front. It is not necessary to dissolve all organizations for this purpose. It is not necessary to have a merger. Common front is quite enough. I am sorry that many people do not seem to realize that the right wing of the Congress is merely using Imperialism as an excuse for preventing separate and Independent organization of labour and I warn you against falling into this error. Politics must be based upon class consciousness. Politics which is not class conscious is hypocracy. You must therefore join a political party which is based upon class interests and class consciousness. Applying this test I find no other party than the Independent Labour Party to which you can join without detriment to your interests. It is the only party which has a clear programme, which gives the interests of the workers a first and foremost place, which has a definite line of action which proposes to exhaust all constitutional means

190 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES for furthering its programme and will not agree to resort to unconstitutional means unless forced to do so, which is willing to avoid class war but is not prepared to give up the principle of class organization. It is true that the Independent Labour Party is in its infancy and is confined only to the Province of Bombay. But that is no argument against it. Every party at one stage is in its infancy. The question is not how old is the party. The question is what are its principles, what does it stand for, what are its potentialities. Any one who cares to read the manifesto of the Independent Labour Party will know what are its principles and what it stands for. That the party has great potentialities is evident. The party is not a close corporation. It is open to anybody irrespective of caste and creed. It has a programme which although it emphasizes some of the special needs of the Depressed Classes, is wide enough to include the needs of all labouring classes. One of the difficulties in the way of the growth of the Independent Labour Party is social and not political. The fact that its substratum or nucleus consists of the Depressed Classes is the only thing that stands in the way of the growth and expansion of the Party. It is the general feeling of not associating with low class people such as the Depressed Classes, which has prevented caste Hindu workers from joining the fold of the I. L. P. and I am sorry to say that many people who are opposed to the growth of the Independent Labour Party are exploiting this feeling and disusading the ignorant and the superstitious from joining the Party. But I am sure that the straight and honest politics of the Independent Labour Party will work as a powerful magnet to draw all labouring classes within its fold and will counter balance any disruptive force originating from the Hindu social system. Already the Party has completely estab lished itself in the three districts of Thana, Kolaba and Ratnagiri and has secured a footing among peasants and workers. It is making leadway in other parts of the Province. The Party is functioning in the Province of C. P. and Berar and I hope that it will have its place in the rest of the Provinces of India. The Independent Labour Party is therefore the only Party which justifies the support of the labouring classes.

191TRADE UNIONS............INTERESTS In the organization of labour the Depressed Classes can give a great lead to Labour in general in India. Mr. Gammage, a student of the Chartist Movement in England, has well observed: “It may be doubted whether there ever was a great political movement of the people without a social origin. The chief material object of mankind is to possess the means of social enjoyment. Secure them in possession of these and small is the care they have for political abstractions. It is the existence of great social wrongs which principally teaches the masses the value of political rights.” Your wrongs are great, your wrongs are real. Therefore your politics can be genuine and real. If you realize this you can be the beacon light to all Labour in India in the matter of genuine political organization. There is another service you can render to Labour in general. You have an assured quota of representation in the Legislature. Some labour leaders do not seem to realize the advantage to Labour in general which this assured quota of representation gives. Elections are gambles. No system of election can secure to any party in the ordinary way any assured quantum of representation in the Legislature. Nor can any system of election give to any body of voters representation in proportion to the number. The history of elections in England will show how surprising and disastrous are the results of elections to the different parties. Often a minority of voters obtain a majority of seats. Such disasters are avoided in our system of assured quotas. And so far as the assured quota of representation to the Depressed Classes is concerned it is an advantage not to the Depressed Classes only but to Labour as a whole. The Depressed Classes being sure of representation can give great support to other labouring classes in their attempt for political organization if they care to avail themselves of this support. How great can be the support of the Depressed Classes to Labour in general for securing political representation to Labour is proved in the last election. The Depressed Classes were able to elect three representatives of caste Hindus to the Bombay Legislative Assembely who stood on the I. L. P. ticket and rendered help to several others who did not stand on its ticket but who were approved by the party. Those who care to profit by our efforts may do so. But the fact remains that the Depressed Classes by themselves can play a great part in