Vol. 17, Part III · pages 446–450

417I A M...................RIVERS neither power nor money. Our people are in minority in the villages and they have always to live at the mercy of the Caste Hindus and other high caste people. Our people are put to all sorts of hardships and when they complain to police authorities, they are not heard. They are even abused when they complain. Under such circumstances, if we have achieved any thing, it is only some political rights. If we unite under the banner of the Scheduled Castes Federation, we can realise those rights and pull our community out of chaos. But we can have one power and that is the political power. This power we must win. Armed with this power, we can protect the interest of our people. Are you assured of this power in the freedom this country has gained ? We were never against our country getting independence. But we wanted a straight answer to only one question. What will be our fate in free India ? I posed that question before Gandhiji and other Congress leaders. Only one question is that what will be the position of our people in Swaraj ? Whether we will remain the same Bhangis and Chamars as we are today; whether our children will not be admitted to the schools in the same way as it being done now; and our people will have to suffer as they are suffering now in the villages ? What will happen to our people? At the Round Table Conference, this question was again raised whether we want Swaraj or not, I asked Gandhi who was the sponsor of this move, the same question that what will he do for the poor people if India got Swaraj. Whether we will be given safeguards as are proposed to be provided for Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Anglo-Indians. But when the Scheduled Castes people were given separate rights in 1932, Gandhi started fast unto death until this provision of Separate Electorates for the Scheduled Castes was repealed. At that time, an agreement was reached between us but what is happening today is quite different to what was agreed to. He promised at that time that no candidates on Congress tickets will be put against those of the Scheduled Castes Federation. We want to send our people for the reserved seats but Congress Party is interfering with it. They are trying to put people for our

418 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES reserved seats who are fools and have selfish motives, who will be yesmen of the Congress. When any Brahmin or Baniya ask for the ticket of the Congress, he is asked one question. They want to know how many times he had gone to jail. I want to ask the Congress, why they do not ask the same question from Scheduled Castes people, who seek Congress ticket? And why only illiterate and unpopular people are selected by them. There were 30 Scheduled Caste people in the Parliament. I ask them what have they done there. They never asked any question, they never moved any resolution and they never submitted a bill for consideration in the Parliament. If anybody comes from outside and sees that 30 Members of Parliament have not put up any grievance, he will think that our people are at right and do not require any special consideration. That is why we want to send our true representative who will put our grievances before the Assemblies secure redress. From the very first election, we have been fighting against the Congress because it is unnecessarily interfering with our rights. Just see the leader of the Congress Party, Pandit Nehru. He has delivered two thousand speeches during the last 20 years, but he has never spoken about the welfare of the Scheduled Castes even once. From this you can judge what sympathy the Congress party can have for our people when its leader is so much adamant. Pandit Nehru is always for the Muslims. I do not want that Muslims should be neglected but I do want that Muslims should not enjoy at the expense of the other communities who need more protection. I heard that some people went to Pandit Nehru and requested that something should be done for the Scheduled Castes. But Pandit Nehru told them that everything has been done for them and they do not require any thing special now. At the time of Partition, when our people were asked by the Pakistan authorities to remain in Pakistan so that they may not have to do the menial duties themselves, I asked Pandit Nehru to do something for the evacuation of the poor Scheduled Castes. Pandit Nehru did not do anything. I sent two persons to Pakistan for the evacuation of our people and our Mahar Battalion was also sent there for protection of the poor Scheduled Castes. If Congress Leader has so much sympathy for our people, what Congress will do for us ?

419I A M...................RIVERS There are 21 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes in the Punjab Assembly out of 120 seats and three reserved in the Union Parliament. I want to ask one question from all those parties which want to put candidates of their choice to these reserved seats and to show sympathy with the Scheduled Castes why they put the candidates against the reserved seats only and why they do not put those candidates to general seats ? If they are sincere, let them provide general seats for our people. All these parties want to take away from us what we have achieved after great hardships. I want to tell you that without political power we cannot exist in this world. We have secured reservation of seats in the Provincial Assemblies and the Union Parliament but this is only for 10 years and nobody can say what will happen after 10 years. If our true representatives are not sent to Assemblies and Parliamemt, all our efforts will be in vain but if they are sent something will come out of it. Otherwise, we cannot have voice in the Government and local bodies. The map of politics has changed in India now. First, Congress was fighting for Swaraj and that is why all the people joined it. And those who opposed the Congress were supposed to be anti-nationalist. But, now the condition has changed. See the Congress Pahalwans of Punjab. There was a time when Bhargava and Sachar were like brothers. They promised to be peaceful with each other. But, now they are the worst enemies. The last date for the filing of papers is 5th November and today is 27th October, but the list of Congress candidates has not so far been sent from Punjab. Both of these people are anxious to become Prime Ministers. The same thing is happening in Bihar. I am surprised to see that Congress Party which was so powerful at the time of partition, has so weakened in such a short period. Today, the man with Gandhi cap is not considered a gentleman. People say either Congress man or gentleman. Nobody can be both. Such is the position of Congress now. Congress has become old now and it is not able to fight with others and will die its natural death.

420 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES If you vote for the Scheduled Castes Federation, then I assure you that our candidates will be successful in the coming general elections. There is no doubt about it, the only thing is that you should vote for our true representatives. On the day of voting all men and women should leave their business and go to polls. The reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes is for 10 years only. I wanted that this reservation should remain for such time as Untouchability is there, but the Congress leader, late Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel opposed me. So the other persons who were there in the Committee also had to support Sardar because they belonged to his party. Therefore, we should try to send our true representatives to the Assemblies, so that they may safeguard our right and also try to secure this reservation after 10 years. The people who are trying to secure tickets from other parties forget that after 10 years, they will be nowhere. No other party will come to them to say that they would stand on their tickets. Today, other parties are only anxious to secure our votes and capture our seats and not that they are sympathising with us. When the time came for the award of different symbols to different parties, our party, the Scheduled Castes Federation was also considered as an All India Party. Other parties gave their symbols as Oxen, Horses, Donkies etc., but for your convenience I made our symbol, the “Elephant” so that people may not find difficulty in recognising our party candidates. Elephant can be easily distinguished from other animals. This time the cumulative voting system has been replace with distributive system. Where there are reserved seats, the voters of that constituency can cast two votes, one to a candidate standing on reserved seat and the other to a candidate who is standing on general seat. We cannot cast two votes to one man. So we will have to make alliance with some party, whose voters will cast their second vote in our favour. The party with whom we enter into agreement will be declared in a few days and you must vote for that party and in return that party will support our candidates. In this way, our candidates will be successful. Our voting strength is not so strong and moreover there are joint electorate which makes our position more awkward. So we will have to make alliance with one party or the other.

421I A M...................RIVERS At the end, I want to inform you that there is only one party which can do something for the Scheduled Castes and that is the Scheduled Castes Federation. I have built the house for you and it is for upto you to maintain it in proper order. I have planted the tree, if you water it, you will enjoy the fruits and you will be able to enjoy its shade, if not, you will have to sit in the sun. Our community will be ruined. So every Scheduled Caste should come under the banner of the Scheduled Castes Federation and make it more powerful. Only if we unite, we can achieve something. United we stand and divided we fall. zz