Book Summary : Mr. Gandhi And The Emancipation Of The Untouchables

The book “Mr. Gandhi and the emancipation of the untouchables” is a book adaptation of the paper submitted by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on the “Problem of the Untouchables of India” for the Session of the Conference which was held on December 1942 at Mont' Tramblant in Quebec in Canada. Critical Digest brings this title as one of the many titles published by them on Ambedkar’s thought-provoking speeches and writings.

The book exclusively deals with the problems faced by the untouchables in India and puts forward recommendations to overcome the social inequality backed by Hindu religion, by providing a fair level of political play for the untouchables. It also questions the role of leaders of India on their role of the emancipation of Untouchables.

Ambedkar demands the following for the emancipation of untouchables in this book:

1. Separate constituencies where the untouchable representatives are elected only through untouchable voters.
2. Hindus should not interfere with this.
3. Separate demographic allotments for untouchables by secluding them from the Hindus who have lived eating upon the untouchables.
4. Reservation in the cabinet holdings.

He supports his argument through the following points;

1. Separate electorates are mandatory because the untouchables are a minority and there is no way they be elected through general constituencies where the Hindus are in majority.
2. Even untouchables don’t elect untouchables over the Hindus for the fact that they are fooled into a strong belief that the Hindus are superior and hence shall be more eligible.
3. The current system of villages where untouchables are regarded merely as slaves to the Hindu landlords need to be eradicated for the untouchables to live with self-respect. Hence the untouchables need to be allotted separate demographic units for their real emancipation.
4. Merit is of course a measure of qualification. That said, it has to be understood that ‘minimum’ qualification is adequate for a position from where expertise shall be acquired from thereon. Therefore untouchables with minimum (required) qualification need to be reserved against Hindus with ‘more’ qualification.

He concludes by saying that the friends of Indians from abroad should realize that the untouchables are fighting for real freedom-not just freedom from the British but from the clutches of unjust social hierarchy prevalent in the Hindu religion. Hence the overseas friends of Indians should ask Indians what is their real aim of freedom and what they strive to achieve through it, like the way the Indians demanded from the British in return for their support to them in World War 2.

He also questions why the Congress is not ready to accept this very reasonable demand when they have accepted an, even more, greater demand of separate ‘Pakistan’ from the powerful minority that is the Muslims.

He slams Gandhi by saying that the so-called reforms carried out by Gandhi to emancipate the Untouchables are only an eye wash-for the reason that he still holds high the Chadhurvarna system and his stunts for the untouchables are only to brainwash the untouchables into believing that they are a part of Hindu system thus keeping the religion intact. He calls him ‘humbug’ for his contrived ways of confusing the untouchables in the name of emancipation. He also slams Jawaharlal Nehru saying the torrent of literature from his pen has never cared a bit about the untouchables. He slams Rajaji for the fact that he had gone so far to be on good books with the Muslims on their demand for Pakistan but not ready to listen to the simple yet reasonable demands of the untouchables.

He accuses the Hindu religion as the only religion in the world to have successfully interlinked social inequality with religion. He also argues that the European class difference and Indian caste system are not the same as the former is only non-social but the latter is anti-social.

Interestingly, the word “anti-national” which is popular for its generous use against anyone agitating against the government nowadays, finds a place in this book. Here Ambedkar says that the demands of untouchables have received only one response of being “anti-national”.