Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, a great patriot and versatile personality, was clear and outspoken about all issues concerning the nation. Despite the fact that communists and many political figures have portrayed him as a detractor of Hindu Dharma. However, he did not despise the land’s past; rather, he despised the superstitious culture prevalent at the time, as well as the vast caste discrimination. He even mentioned in his book ‘Riddles of Hinduism’ that, while the West believes democracy was invented by them, the Hindu’ VEDANTA’ has even more prominent and explicit discussions of the same, which is older than any Western concept.
Babasaheb was not anti-Hindu, but he opposed certain malpractices and a few unfair customs of Hindu dharma. If he hated Hindu dharma, he would have changed to Islam or Christianity to further undermine Hindu dharma. However, he adopted Buddhism since its beliefs are very similar to those of Hindu dharma. Many detractors of Hindu dharma mention a few of his lines against Hindu dharma, but we must remember that those were reactions at the time, and reactions are fleeting emotions that cannot determine anyone’s character or thought process. The majority of the reactions were out of anger against some practices; thus, it makes little sense to claim that he was anti-Hindu. When we use harsh words for our family members, we do so out of love in order to effect constructive change, much as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar did. His fame and power at the time could have allowed him to cause significant harm to Hindus and Bharat, however he was a patriot and was aware of the facts. Can we imagine the ramifications if he accepted Christianity or Islam?
He was aware that every religion and ideology carried flaws that needed to be addressed and fixed. He was hopeful that Hindus would take steps to eliminate societal inequality. Therefore, he established a timeframe for Hindu leaders to take corrective action. However, the strong caste division among Hindus, as well as the slavery mentality fostered throughout time by the Mughals and Britishers, made it impossible for Hindus to overcome this issue of societal inequality. Doctor Ambedkar realised that the hurdles erected by the Congress and Communist parties also contributed to Hindu decline. He held strong opinions against Congress, Communism, Islam, and Christianity. Let us examine his perspectives on Congress and communism.
What he said regarding Communist ideology
“Humanity does not only want economic values, it also wants spiritual values to be retained. Permanent Dictatorship has paid no attention to spiritual values and does not seem to intend to. The Communist Philosophy seems to be equally wrong for the aim of their philosophy seems to be fatten pigs as though men are no better than pigs. Man must grow materially as well as spiritually”. [Ref: vol 3, buddha or karl marks, page no. 461-462]
Dr Ambedkar correctly stated that focusing solely on materialism leads to selfishness, greed, and opportunism. Take them away from humanity, and they will never prioritise society or the nation. Society and nation will never be at peace, therefore spiritual characteristics play a critical part in forming an individual, society, nation, and planet.
Dr Ambedkar plainly said in his masterwork “The Annihilation of Caste” that communists cannot expect a broad economic revolution while workers are divided based on caste. Assume that if they were successful in starting an economic revolution, they would be obligated to address the issue of caste in order to continue. Because equality requires fraternity. However, liberty and equality cannot be guaranteed in the absence of fraternity, which is impossible to achieve with castes.
He quoted, “Can the Communists say that in achieving their valuable end they have not destroyed other valuable ends? They have destroyed private property. Assuming that this is a valuable end can the Communists say that they have not destroyed other valuable end in the process of achieving it? How many people have they killed for achieving their end. Has human life no value? Could they not have taken property without taking the life of the owner?”
Late Shri Dattopant Thengadi established an organisations for workers and farmers along the lines advocated by Doctor Babasaheb Ambedkar. Caste should not be used to build an organisation because it turns individuals into economic commodities and they are used as tools against society and nation. Since its start, communism has used the same tactic to divide and harm society, which is why Dr Babasaheb was strongly opposed to it.
Communism appears to be OK in theory but a complete failure in practice. The problem with communism is its method of ‘getting things done’. In the name of principles, communists will alter history, kill innocent people, and censor the media.
In November 2017, Laura Nicole of Harvard University stated in an honest piece, “Let us not forget the history of the victims who do not have a voice because they did not survive the writing of their tales. Most essential, let us resist the temptation to repeat it.” She went on to say that communism is not attacking the current quo, but rather a violent doctrine that must be understood by everyone.
Why did Dr Ambedkar quit the Government, and what were his thoughts on Congress?
Dr Ambedkar held strong views on several critical topics and disagreed with Pandit Nehru and the other Congress Ministers in the Cabinet. His reservations about Pandit Nehru’s handling of the Kashmir issue, his opposition to Article 370 of the Constitution, which grants special rights to Jammu & Kashmir, his support for a Uniform Civil Code, and his frustration with Parliament for stalling the Hindu Code Bill, which he had passionately drafted, all contributed to his separation from his increasingly untenable position in the Cabinet. Dr Ambedkar discussed the Kashmir subject on numerous occasions. On October 10, 1951, Dr Ambedkar resigned from the Cabinet, expressing concern about India’s foreign policy.
Dr Ambedkar accused Pandit Nehru of prioritising Muslims, particularly in Kashmir, over Backward Hindus of India, Scheduled Castes, Tribes, and the people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Many atrocities were committed against Sikhs, Christians, and other religious groups, but the Government paid little attention to them. The Government focused all of its attention on Kashmir. Dr Ambedkar advocated for absolute demographic separation with partition, but his voice was never heard.
Congress will not last until the sun and moon: “How long will the Congress last?” The Congress is Pandit Nehru, and Pandit Nehru is Congress. But is Pandit Nehru immortal? Anyone who considers these issues will know that the Congress will not continue until the sun and the moon. It must eventually come to an end.” Exploiting the caste: “Congress always triumphs. But nobody wonders why the Congress wins. The answer is that Congress is extremely popular. But why is Congress popular? The truth is that Congress consistently nominates candidates from the castes that make up the majority of the constituencies. Caste and Congress have intimate ties. It is by exploiting the caste system that the Congress wins.”
When professionals begin to analyse Dr Ambedkar with a larger view and an unbiased attitude, people will gain a deeper understanding of the reality and realise that he was not opposed to Hindu Dharma but rather had a true thought process of making constructive modifications to a few practices of social relevance. Salute to this magnificent patriot and tall leader of humanity.
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