Vol. 17, Part III · pages 486–490

457IT IS...............INDIFFERENT He thought the Prime Minister had cut a very sorry figure when denying his charges. “It is a matter of fact though Mr. Nehru has denied it,” Dr. Ambedkar said referring to the Government’s alleged indifference to the Scheduled Castes. The right course for the Prime Minister was to issue a Press Statement detailing what the Government had done for the betterment of the Scheduled Castes and let the people decide whether he was wrong or the Government. He challenged Mr. Nehru’s claim that Congress alone would be able to form a stable Government in the country. There were many internal differences in the Congress and he cited several instances. “The equation that Mr. Nehru is Congress is not true,” he said. “Mr. Nehru is living in a dream world. The sooner he realises it, the better.” Dr. Ambedkar asserted, observing that Congressmen had deposed the Congress President, Mr. Tandon, and elected Mr. Nehru in his place only for the sake of the elections. “Mr. Nehru, who is a naive man, cannot understand this. I am afraid about what his position will be after the elections are over. “Because I am a realist, know better than Mr. Nehru what other Congress leaders think about him.” Dr. Ambedkar declared. He thought that when the election of the President of the Indian Republic was due, the Prime Minister would have to accept defeat or choose any of his own men from outside Congress. Dr. Ambedkar told the meeting that when Mr. Rafi Ahmed Kidwai left the Congress, he had told Mr. Kidwai : “Take people like Nehru with you and I am with you.” Stressing the importance of having a strong opposition Dr. Ambedkar said no party should have unlimited power and it was bad for the people to remain idle and indifferent if that stage of affairs came into being.

458 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES The Socialist Party and the Scheduled Castes Federation were fighting the elections for democratic socialism for freedom and equality. He thought though they would not be able to form a Government, they would be able to form a strong opposition. “Numbers do not matter. It is the quality of opposition that counts”, he added. He appealed to the people to elect at least the best, if not all, of the candidates put up by the Socialists and the Federation, so that the opposition might be of good quality. Mr. Asoka Mehta could not address the gathering as he was unwell and Mr. M. Harris spoke in his stead. He declared that interested parties had tried to misinterpret the alliance of the Socialists with the Federation. Earlier, processions from a number of constituencies, from Kurla to Colaba were taken out and they converged on Shivaji Park. The two main processions started from Byculla Bridge and the Docks area.”1 zz 1: The National Standard, dated 26th November 1951.

133 PURITY OF ADMINISTRATION IS NECESSARY FOR WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE Dr. B. R. Ambedkar delivered a speech in the joint and crowded meeting of the Praja Socialist Party and the Scheduled Castes Federation, held in the Sir Cawasji Jehangir Hall, Bombay, Fort on 26th November 1951. Mr. Purushottam Trikamdas presided over meeting. The charge that the Nehru Government and the Congress Party had failed to give to the people, a pure and incorruptible administration was made on Monday by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, former Law Minister of the Government of India. The Congress had been rightly accused of not providing food and clothing to the people. But there was something greater and important than food and clothing which the present Government had failed to give to the people. That was pure administration, free from corruption, bribery, nepotism and favouritism. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar supported his charge by citing several instances of corruption and bribery in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madras and asked the Congress High Command why it did not think it fit to institute an enquiry into the allegations made against the Ministries of those states by Congress legislators. It seemed extraordinary to him that the Congress Party which ruled the country, should be so indifferent to its own reputation, honour and integrity and should not appoint an enquiry committee to go into these charges made against the Government by its own members. He stated that it might be difficult to provide food and clothing to the people but why should it be difficult to give the people a pure Government, he asked. It was a matter which entirely rested in the hands of the Government. If the Government was determined to make its administration foolproof and knave-proof, nothing could have stood in its way. But really what stood in its way was the Congress itself, because it did not believe in purity of administration.

460 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES He was particularly pained at the statement made by Mr. Nehru, as President of the Congress, at the recent Delhi session in which he practically defended corruption prevailing in the country. Mr. Nehru had said that corruption in India was not such a great evil as would demand great attention. He also referred to a storm raised against him by Congress members of Parliament for certain disqualification clauses for elections which he wanted to introduce into the Representation of the People’s Act. He wanted black-marketeers and holders of permits and licences to be disqualified from contesting elections alongwith contractors. But he was forced to remove the clause because of strong opposition from Congress members. Another battle which he fought bitterly but lost in the end was in regard to expenses incurred during elections by parties. “Is this conduct and attitude of the Congress compatible with the maintenance of purity of administration ?” he queried, and said : “Nobody can have trust and faith in a party which play a fast and loose with the question of purity of administration .” Purity of administration was very necessary for the welfare of the people because the public was more concerned with how the law was administered and not with how the law was made. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar said that he had received several complaints alleging that Congress workers in the districts were influencing judicial officers. Stressing the need for a strong opposition in India Dr. Ambedkar called upon the Congress to allow other political parties to function as opposition parties and not to suppress the political voice of the people. To the moneyed class he uttered a note of warning not to subscribe to the funds of the Congress Party. The former Law Minister made a reference to the accusation which he alleged, had been made by Mr. S. K. Patil, that he (Dr. Ambedkar) was ungrateful because he had resigned from the Cabinet. Mr. Patil seemed to have funny notions about

461PURITY OF PEOPLE gratefulness, he said and quoted a citation from Irish philosopher which read : “No man can be grateful at the cost of his honour. No woman can be grateful at the cost of her chastity. And no nation can be grateful at the cost of its liberty.” Gratefulness had its own limitations. Dr. Ambedkar said, He did not want to be a slave in the Government of India. Replying to the claim made by Mr. Patil, that it was through his efforts that Dr. Ambedkar found a place in the Central Government, Dr. Ambedkar said that it was one of the greatest surprises of his life how he got into the Cabinet, particularly when the Congress was determined and practically vowed not to permit him to enter even the portals of the Constituent Assembly.1 zz 1: The Times of India, dated 27th November 1951.