Vol. 9 · pages 156–160

127 WHAT CONGRESS AND GANDHI HAVE DONE TO THE UNTOUCHABLES : A POLITICAL CHARITY ability as such, as they are against inter-caste dinners and marriages. Since it is not the ambition of the League to undertake reforms beyond its own scope, it is desirable to make it clear that while the League will work by persuasion among the caste Hindus to remove every vestige of untouchability, the main line of work will be constructive, such as the uplift of Depressed Classes educationally, economically and socially, which itself will go a great way to remove Untouchability. With such a work, even a staunch Sanatanist can have nothing but sympathy. And it is for such work mainly that the League has been established. Social reforms like the abolition of the caste system and inter-dining are kept outside the scope of the League.” For the convenient prosecution of the programme it was proposed that each Province should be divided into a number of units and each unit to be in charge of paid workers. A unit may or may not be coterminus with a district. It may be formed by grouping together two districts or two States. The statement also set out a normal Budget for the year. It was to be of the following dimensions:— “Not less than two-thirds of the expenditure should be devoted to actual welfare work, the remaining one-third to staff and their allowances. Two paid workers are considered the minimum staff and they should be moving about 15 to 29 days in a month in villages. Maintenance allowance for two itinerant workers … … … 30 + 20 = 50 × 12 = 600 Travelling charges for two itinerant workers … … … … 2 × 10 × 12 = 240 Miscellaneous expenditure by and through the workers … … 2 + 10 × 12 = 240 Welfare work, i.e. cost of school books, scholarships, prizes, contributions for wells, if any, and formation of Harijan Panchayats. 2000 TOTAL … 3,080 BUDGET FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY We give below a rough idea of the minimum total amount which may have to be spent for the whole of India. The scheme is modest enough in view of the gigantic nature of the work and it should not be difficult for the public to raise the required fund. Every pic contributed to the fund will make

128 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES a valuable contribution and therefore we appeal to the public to make some sacrifices for the cause. The number of units proposed for each province is only a tentative proposal. The final decision, of course, will have to be taken by the Provincial Boards themselves. “It is calculated that at least the following number of units will be required to be worked in different provinces, the number of districts and states being shown against each province :— Name of Province No. of Dists. No. of Units Assam … … … … … … 11 6 Andhra … … … … … … — 6 Bengal … … … … … … 26 15 Calcutta City … … … … … 1 3 Bihar … … … … … … 16 16 Bombay, Bombay City & Suburban District … 1 3 Maharashtra … … … … … … 10 8 Gujerat, Baroda, Kathiawar, Cutch and other States 5 and States 10 Central Provinces and Berar (Marathi) … … 9 7 Central India States … … … … 11 8 Delhi Provinces … … … … … 1 2 Kashmir … … … … … … 1 1 Malabar, Cochin and Travancore … … … 4 10 Mysore & Karnatak Dists. of Bombay & Madras 8 10 Nizam’s Dominion … … … … … 14 10 Orissa Feudatory States 5 + 26 = States 8 Punjab Y N.W.S. Province and the Punjab Sates 32 + 7 = 39 10 Rajputana States Ajmer-Merwar State … 18 Br. Dist. … … … … … 1 19 9 Sind … … … … … … 8 5 Tamil Nadu … … … … … 13 8 United Provinces … … … … … 48 24 Total … 184 The expenditure for 184 Units would be 3,000 × 184 = Rs. 5,52,000 CENTRAL & PROVINCIAL OFFICES Central Office, 1,000 × 12 = Rs. 12,000 Provincial Officer, 4,000 × 12 = Rs. 48.000 Total Rs. 60,000 GRAND TOTAL Rs. 6,12,000 or say, Rs. 6,00,000

129 WHAT CONGRESS AND GANDHI HAVE DONE TO THE UNTOUCHABLES : A POLITICAL CHARITY This amount will have to be made up both from the Central Fund as well as from funds raised by provinces and districts. It can be seen that a sum of six lakhs of rupees is intended to be collected and spent per year in the whole country for the removal of Untouchability and ameliorative work of Harijans. This programme, particularly if the ameliorative work is to be effective, should continue at least for 5 years. When spread out over 22 provinces, including States and 4 crores or 400 lakhs of Harijans in the country, this is a small budget indeed.” To provide funds for the work of the Sangh Mr. Gandhi started an All-India tour which began on November 7, 1988 and ended on July 29, 1934. Total collection was rupees eight lakhs.* As the object of the tour was to arouse enthusiasm among the Hindus for the cause of the Untouchables as also to collect funds, Mr. Gandhi did most of the tour on foot. Mr. Gandhi collected Rs. 8 lakhs. With this amount and the annual donation of Mr. Gandhi’s monied friends the Sangh started its work. The Harijan Sevak Sangh has been going on since September 1982. It has been held out as a glorious testimony to the agony of Mr. Gandhi’s soul for the condition of the Untouchables and to the passion he feels for their elevation. The General Secretary of the Sangh has invited many Americans to the Home of the Sangh in Delhi and shown them round as an unrivalled piece of social work that is being done by Mr. Gandhi for the welfare of the Untouchables. Any welfare work for a down-trodden people must be welcomed by all. But this does not mean that it must never be criticised. That can hardly be accepted. It would be legitimate to inquire what work the Sangh is doing since so much is made of it. Any one who has read the Annual Reports of the Sangh will see that it follows certain well defined and stereotyped lines. In the field of education, the Sangh has sought to encourage higher education among the Untouchables by instituting scholarships for the Arts, technical and professional courses. The Sangh also gives scholarships to High School students. The Sangh also maintains Hostels for Untouchable students attending colleges and high schools. The great part of the educational activities of the Sangh is taken up in maintaining separate schools for primary stage * Harijan, August 3, 1934.

130 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES children, where there were no common schools in the vicinity or where common schools were closed to them. Next comes the welfare activities of the Sangh. The medical aid which the Sangh undertakes to render to the Untouchables falls under this head. This is done by itinerant workers of the Sangh who go in Harijan quarters to give medical aid to the sick and ailing among the Untouchables. The Sangh also maintains a few dispensaries for the use of the Untouchables. This is a very small activity of the Sangh. The more important part of the welfare activity of the Sangh relates to water supply. The Sangh does this by (1) sinking new wells or installing tube wells and pumps for the use of the Untouchables; (2) repairing old ones; and (3) persuading Local Governments and Bodies to sink and repair wells for the Untouchables. The third line of activity undertaken by the Sangh is economic. The Sangh seems to run a few industrial schools and it is claimed that the industrial schools run by the Sangh produced a number of trained artisans who have taken to independent living. But according to the reports, more successful and substantial work was done by way of organizing and supervising co-operative societies among the Untouchables. II From this summary of its activities an impression may be created that the Sangh must be spending quite a lot of money on the welfare of the Untouchables. What are the facts? It will be recalled that the normal amount of money which the Sangh expected to be able to spend on the uplift work among the Untouchables was to be about Rs. 6,00,000 per year. How much has the Sangh been actually spending ? The Secretary of the Sangh in his Report issued in May 1941 says 1:— “During the course of the last 8 years the various branches and the central office of the Sangh have spent approximately Rs. 24,25,700 and Rs. 3,41,607 respectively, on the Harijan work. Looking to the needs of the problem, this sum of Rs. 27,67,307 is too insignificant an amount.” 1. Report, p. 58.

131 WHAT CONGRESS AND GANDHI HAVE DONE TO THE UNTOUCHABLES : A POLITICAL CHARITY On this basis the Sangh’s expenditure comes to about Rs. 3,45,888 per year, which is 50 per cent, less than, what the Sangh hoped to collect. It will be seen that the Sangh is not as big as it is made out to be by its friends. The Sangh has been carrying on a very poor existence. A Budget of three lakhs per year for a population of 50 millions of Untouchables is not a matter on which the Untouchables need be very jubilant. Even this much show, the Sangh would not have been able to put up if during the two years that they were in office the Congress Governments in different Provinces had not given large grants to the Sangh. The Sangh cannot be blamed for its poor finances. The blame lies with the Hindus. The stagnant, if not the deteriorating, condition of the Sangh shows how little the Hindus care for the welfare of the Untouchables. For political purposes they contributed one crore of Rupees which went to make up the Tilak Swaraj Fund. For General Welfare work they have very recently contributed one crore and 15 lakhs which will make up the Kasturba Memorial Fund. Compared with these the contributions made by the Hindus to the Harijan Sevak Sangh are paltry. One may differ with the Sangh on the nature of the welfare work it does. Much of the work the Sangh does is obviously the work which any civilized Government is bound to undertake out of public revenues. It may well be asked: why should the Sangh ask Government to undertake this work and use its funds on projects which Government does not do and yet is urgently required to be done? This however cannot give rise to feelings of animosity on the part of the Untouchables towards the Sangh. It may be admitted that such animosity does exist. This circumstance and its causes were referred 1 to by a writer in the Indian Social Reformer of 14th October 1944. He said :— “A deputation of Harijans waited on Gandhiji at Sevagram with the request that members of the castes grouped under the head of ‘Scheduled Castes’ should be allowed representation on the governing body of the Harijan Sevak Sangh. Gandhiji 1. The occasion for his comments was furnished by the report in the newspapers that on September 26, 1944 some Untouchables waited on Mr. Gandhi and urged upon him to appoint representatives of the Untouchables on the Governing Body of the Harijan Sevak Sangh and Mr. Gandhi refused. The writer is believed to be no other than Mr. K. Natarajan.