Vol. 9 · pages 431–435

402 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Now everybody in India, outside the Hindus, knows that whatever may be its title it is beyond question that the Congress is a body of middle class Hindus supported by the Hindu Capitalists whose object is not to make Indians free but to be independent of British control and to occupy places of power now occupied by the British. If the kind of Freedom which the Congress wants was achieved there is no doubt that the Hindus would do to the Untouchables exactly what they have been doing in the past. In the light of this apathy the Indian branch of the Institute of International Affairs may well be congratulated for having invited a paper for submission to the Institute of Pacific Relations, discussing the position of the Untouchables in India in the New Constitution. I must confess that this invitation for a statement on the position of the Untouchables under the new constitution came to me as an agreeable surprise and a great relief and it is because of this, that notwithstanding the many things with which I am preoccupied, I agreed to find time to prepare this paper. zz

CHAPTER III THE POLITICAL DEMANDS OF THE UNTOUCHABLES THE problem of the Untouchables is an enormous problem. As a matter of fact I have been for some time engaged on a work dealing with this problem which will run into several hundred pages. All that I can do within the limits of this paper is to set out in a brief compass what the nature of the problem is and the solution which the Untouchables have themselves propounded. It seems to me that I cannot do better than begin by drawing attention to the following Resolutions which were passed at the All-India Scheduled Castes* Conference held in the city of Nagpur on the 18th and 19th July 1942 :Resolution No. II CONSENT ESSENTIAL TO CONSTITUTION “This Conference declares that no constitution will be acceptable to the Scheduled Castes unless, (i) it has the consent of the Scheduled Castes, (ii) it recognises the fact that the Scheduled Castes are distinct and separate from the Hindus and constitute an important element in the national life of India, and (iii) contains within itself provisions which will give to the Scheduled Castes a real sense of security under the new constitution and which are set out in the following resolutions.” *Under the Government of India Act of 1935 the Untouchables are designated as ‘Scheduled Castes’.

404 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Resolution No. III ESSENTIAL PROVISIONS IN THE NEW CONSTITUTION “For creating this sense of security in the Scheduled Castes; this Conference demands that the following provisions shall be made in the new Constitution :- (1) That in the budget of every provincial Government an annual sum as may be determined upon by agreement be set apart for promoting the primary education among the children of the Scheduled Castes and another annual sum for promoting advanced education among them, and such sums shall be declared to be the first charge on the revenues of the Province. (2) That provision shall be made by law for securing representation to the Scheduled Castes in all Executive Governments-Central and Provincialthe proportion of which shall be determined in accordance with their number, their needs and their importance. (3) That provision shall be made by law for securing representation to the Scheduled Castes in the Public Services the proportion of which shall be fixed in accordance with their number, their needs and their importance. This Conference further insists that in the case of security services such as Judiciary, Police and Revenue, provision shall be made that the proportion fixed for the Scheduled Castes shall, subject to the rule of minimum qualification, be realized within a period of ten years. (4) That provision shall be made by law for guaranteeing to the Scheduled Castes representation in all Legislatures and Local bodies in accordance with their number, needs and importance. (5) That provision shall be made by law whereby there presentation of the Scheduled Castes in all Legislatures and Local Bodies shall be by the method of Separate Electorates. (6) That provision shall be made by law for the representation of the Scheduled Castes on all Public Service Commissions, Central and Provincial.”

405 MR. GANDHI AND THE EMANCIPATION OF THE UNTOUCHABLES : THE POLITICAL DEMANDS OF THE UNTOUCHABLES Resolution No. IV. SEPARATE SETTLEMENTS “It is the considered opinion of this conference, (a) that so long as the Scheduled Castes continue to live on the outskirts of the Hindu village, with no source of livelihood and in small number as compared to Hindus, they will continue to remain Untouchables and subject to the tyranny and oppression of the Hindus and will not be able to enjoy free and full life. (b) That for the better protection of the Scheduled Castes from the tyranny and oppression of the Caste Hindus, which may take a worse form under Swaraj which cannot but be a Hindu Raj, and (c) to enable the Scheduled Castes to develop to their fullest manhood, to give them economical and social security as also to pave the way for the removal of untouchability.” This Conference has after long and mature deliberation come to the conclusion that a radical change must be made in the village system now prevalent in India and which is the parent of all the ills from which the Scheduled Castes are suffering for so many centuries at the hands of the Hindus. Realising the necessity of these changes this conference holds that along with the Constitutional changes in the system of Government there must be a change in the village system now prevalent, made along the following lines : (1) The constitution should provide for the transfer of the Scheduled Castes from their present habitation and form separate Scheduled Caste villages away from and independent of Hindu village. (2) For the settlemernt of the Scheduled Castes in new villages a provision shall be made by the constitution for the establishment of a Settlement Commission. (3) All Government land which is cultivable and which is not occupied shall be handed over to the Commission to be held in trust for the purpose of making new settlements of the Scheduled Castes.

406 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES (4) The Commission shall be empowered to purchase new land under the Land Acquisition Act from private owners to complete the scheme of settlement of Scheduled Castes. (5) The constitution shall provide that the Central Government shall grant to the Settlement Commission a minimum sum of Rupees five crores per annum to enable the Commission to carry out their duty in this behalf. zz