Vol. 17, Part III · pages 401–405

372 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES which they formulated. You know that I have delivered many speeches which have been guided by the consideration that this country should find it easy to achieve its freedom. At the same time I am quite determined to say that if the 60 million Untouchables are not safeguarded by means of political rights and if I do not find proper gesture on the part of the Congress people in the matter of settlement of the safeguards for the Scheduled Castes, no one, I am sure, will blame me if I take that step viz., to dissociate myself from the Constituent Assembly. You should, however, remember that in the Constitutent Assembly of 292 or so I am one single, solitary individual. You should also bear in mind that no matter how great a man may have the intellect or the capapcity to argue and to defend, he is after all one man, a single individual. If the rest of 291 are determined not to listen the reason, not to listen the argument but to oppose their opponent you can well realize my possible helplessness in the Constituent Assembly of 292 where I am only one. I hope that good sense will prevail and we shall achieve what we want ultimately. What will count with us is an organization. You must also remember all political rights that we might get by our perpetual efforts are bound to be for a period. There will be a time when these rights will vanish, not only for us but for everybody in this contry. When these rights vanish what we shall have to depend upon is our organization, our strength and unity. Therefore, we must be determined to unite. (Here Baba Saheb referred to the message sent to the Jai Bheem and narrated the story contained therein.)* The only message which I can give you is suffering and more suffering. There can be no other method except through suffering and you should not be disheartened because our people in some villages have suffered and are undergoing great sufferings. We shall have to persue our task with determination and decide to be organized. There need not be any fear of suffering in this country. * See Pp. 83-85 Section I, part II, of this Volume, under title “Not to stop until the Untouchables Recover Manhood.”

373I HAVE.................COUNTRY I am very glad to receive this purse from you. Now I have been thinking what I should do with this money. I propose to do one of the two things. One is that I should keep this money with some body in order that it may be devoted for the purpose of building the Club in Delhi for which I have arranged to purchase land. Though the sum is small we shall collect more for the purpose. The other thing is that this money should be returned to the Association so that they may use it for certain purposes. (The Association did not agree to take it back). All right, then it should be given to the fund collected for building the Club.” —F.O.C 1 zz 1 : Jai Bheem, dated May 25 th, 1947.

110 THE MINORITY MUST ALWAYS BE WON OVER IT MUST NEVER BE DICTATED TO Dr. B. R. Ambedkar inaugurated ‘Siddharth College Parliament’ on 25th September 1947 at Bombay. On this occasion he said, “I have not got any clear line of action before me for the present, and so I am thinking to speak in a military way. This independance has come so sudden that we had no time to recall our forces and we had no time to arrange our forces even. The British inspite of their promises to us for the last fifty years, in the end, deceived us in not recognising the Scheduled Castes as separate political entity. They did not help us in the task. They helped the Musalmans and Sikhs. It is very curious to note at this stage as to why the British helped only the Musalmans, Sikhs and not the Scheduled Castes. We are left with no support. We had to depend upon nothing else but our own strength. And as you well know that this strength also was divided in the eyes of the British Political Surveyers like Cripps and his fellow friends in the delegation. They saw this division because of the separate organization of the so called Harijan Party. It is true and was true in reality that the Scheduled Castes Federation was the only representative body of the Scheduled Castes. I am glad to say that, when I had been to England and discussed with many of the leaders of different political groups there, the permanent Parliamentary Secretaries, who were in day to-day touch of the Indian situation, had fully supported my saying that the Scheduled Castes Federation was the only representative body of the Scheduled Castes. Not only that but people like Mr. Cripps and many like him were convinced by my mission, but inspite of this the British Delegation over-ruled everything, because they wanted to take political decision for their safety even

375THE MINORITY................TO though it was far from reality, and thus they took the political decision at our cost. This loss to the Scheduled Castes was due to the shameless attitude taken by the Rashtriya Harijans. In the Minority Sub-Committee I stressed our demand for Separate Electorate by suggesting a solution that a successful candidate should at last secure 35% of the votes of the community he represented but there, the hasty action of the Muslim group in leaving the hall at the time of voting made my proposal to secure equal votes for and against, i. e. 7 v/s 7. I tried myself in the Advisory Committee and a strange thing is that Mr. Manuswami Pillay, Speaker from the Madras Assembly, supported my amendment. Mr. Vallabhbhai Patel also did not vote against it. But in the General Constituent Assembly, Mr. Pillay, one of my supporters, was one of the signatories to oppose this proposal. I was struck with wonder to all this. This is the second crooked role played by the Rashtriya Harijans to the permanent annoyance and common interest of the Scheduled Castes at large. It is for these reasons that I have not any clear line of action for the present. Now, I must tell you one thing that the Separate Electorates alone are not only ends and means of the Scheduled Castes Federation. Separate Electorates with our means are good but in themselves, they are bad. You have got the Separate Electorates but no political safeguards. I don’t know what will be their lot. I could succeed in getting you some political safeguards in Legislative Assemblies and services. It is because of my efforts that the rest of the minorities like Sikhs, Indian Christians and Muslims have some safeguards. Because it was only myself, who was so very insistent on this demand, the Constituent Assembly had no courage to displease me at this stage. I am glad to say that I could serve the minorities in the real sense of the term. It is likely that you should have been disappointed and I am also not so much happy about it. Even then we have got to play our role in the future. I would like to tell you about the history of the British Labour Party. That party during the last 24 years has developed so much that today it has its rule.

376 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES The same party, when it was first organised, practically has no representation in the Parliament. What does it show ? It shows that not the success at the elections is the victory of the party, but the success of the principle and programme is the victory of the party. And I have no doubt that the Scheduled Castes Federation will have its role for the principles it stands for. It is for this, that I am not disappointed at all. It is for this reason that we must be aware of the following three things : (i) The Scheduled Castes Federation must maintain its political existence under whatever circumstances. We have got the history of the Non-Brahmin Party before us. Before Congress came into prominence the All India Non-Brahmin Party was in its zenith. But when the leaders of the NonBrahmin Party went individually in Congress for their individual purposes they were as if purchased, and as such they had no voice in Congress then and even now. Even though they are a vast majority they are ruled and their aid is greater responsible than the individuals; (ii) You should have very able leaders. Yours leaders must have the courage and calibre to match the topmost leaders in any political party. The party without efficient leaders comes to nil. The defeat of the British Labour Party in 1931 was due to this fact. And this is equally applicable to the Non-Brahmin Party in India; (iii) In any Party, just as the honest leadership which can never be sold is of vital importance, in the same way, devoted workers in the party is the second important thing essential for the growth of the party. The Scheduled Castes Federation has to create many but none to my satisfaction. In one way, the Scheduled Castes Federation has not to worry about because their leader will never be sold at whatever cost; but what of the rest of the organs ? When will they come up to the mark ? It is upto you to fulfil my need. I repeatedly tell you that Scheduled Castes Federation must maintain its political existence, not in my individual interest, but for you and me.