The Dalit delegates from all over the world, because of my preoccupations, I could not write my address to this convention. I will have to speak on the basis of my experience, especially keeping in mind the caste factor and the Dalit factor also. Here we are trying to acquire a new vision towards a casteless society. During these two days deliberations and meeting people from various parts of the world, I hope you will try to find out ways and means how to proceed towards this end.
Babasaheb Ambedkar, in 1936, prepared a speech, which was to be delivered in Lahore and later on, it appeared in the form of a booklet. ‘Annihilation of Caste’ was his dream in 1936. After reading that booklet, I understood a lot about the caste factor in India, because that speech was prepared after a great thought and study. So since then, I also started thinking that how the caste can be annihilated. How caste can be annihilated—that thought was bothering me for some time. But after looking at the world, the world available in India, the social setup available in India, I stopped thinking about the annihilation of caste. I thought Babasaheb wanted to annihilate caste. So many people who are victims of the caste system, they must think on the same lines. But I started thinking differently. I thought that it is not easy to annihilate caste. Perhaps it may not be even possible to annihilate caste. What should be done? So I reached a conclusion that I must take note of caste.
Caste is a factor which should not be wished away. We should not try to wish away the caste. Caste is a big factor in India. And wherever the people from India go, if they don’t carry anything with them, at least they carry their caste.
Caste has not come from nowhere. It is the creation of some people. Caste is the creation of some people. And it is created with a purpose. There is a purpose behind the creation of caste. And that purpose still remains. That purpose still remains.
I have decided that if I had to think about eliminating caste, then I must study more deeply, not on paper, not in books, but in life. I must study more deeply about the caste factor. So, in this conference, while taking note of your desire—all of you have come from all over the world—your desire is to move towards a casteless society. That is my desire too. But today it is not as intense as it used to be. I feel that if we are to march towards this end, we must not only take note of caste, but we must learn to handle the caste factor.
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Why am I here today? Why Mr Pandian met me in Delhi and have discussions with me? And why a lot of people in Delhi try to meet me, even though I keep on moving? Very rarely am I in Delhi. Because they feel that this man has learned to handle caste. This man has learned to handle caste. So I feel that even if we want to acquire a new vision towards a casteless society, even for that thing, we must try to handle caste. And it is not easy to handle caste. So in this conference, I would like to make a suggestion from my side. That if we desire to have a casteless society, without handling caste, we cannot do that. Because caste has not come from nowhere. It is the creation of some people. Caste is the creation of some people. And it is created with a purpose. There is a purpose behind the creation of caste. And that purpose still remains. That purpose still remains.
Babasaheb British, in eliminating caste, by acquiring something for the caste, as a result of the Round Table Conferences, as a result of the communal award he got for us, for the scheduled caste, he got the right of a separate electorate. When he got the right of a separate electorate, he got for whom? For the caste, which was to be scheduled later on, in the 1935 India Act. In 1932, he got a separate electorate award for the caste yet to be scheduled. And the schedule was prepared with the help of Babasaheb Ambedkar. So thus, in the 1935 India Act, there are two schedules. One the Scheduled Castes, another the Scheduled Tribes. And later on in 1950, our Constitution came into being. So these schedules are included in that Constitution also.
There are 45 lakh hectares of land under plough. And more than that, land is available in India which can be brought under plough. But nobody has given that land to us and nobody will give. Why? Because of the Brahmanical social order in India. For that reason only, they have created caste. That there should be some caste who should possess land and there should be other caste who should plough the land.
So, Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted to annihilate caste. But still he took note of the caste and got a separate electorate for the Scheduled Caste. Similarly, I feel that we must also learn to handle the caste factor. And I feel that India has seen three great men since the exit of the British. Number one, I feel, it was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who was an expert in handling the caste. I feel it was Pandit Nehru who was a top expert in handling the caste. And he handled the caste in such a manner that he made Babasaheb Ambedkar a helpless person. As long as Babasaheb was alive up to 1956, to me he appeared to be a helpless person. Because Pandit Nehru was an expert in handling the caste. He handled the caste in such a manner that Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted to do so many things which he could not do. Because Nehru was an expert in handling the caste. This is what I learned from that period.
Later on, I read somewhere that in the month of July 1942 in Nagpur, in the Scheduled Caste Federation Conference, Babasaheb Ambedkar declared his another intention. When he failed to get the separate electorate for these castes, he declared that he had spoken to the British and the British had agreed to create separate settlements for these castes. I realised and still I keep on pondering over it that after 1932, in 1942 again, 10 years later, he made a desperate effort to develop these people who were known as the Scheduled Caste.
I will not take more time, but it is essential to understand that effort also. Yesterday, some people from the United States were telling me ‘why don’t you revive the effort of having a separate electorate again’, about which I never spend a moment. I am fully convinced that during the British Raj, in 1932, Babasaheb Ambedkar had to dispense with the separate electorate because of Gandhiji’s fast. Gandhiji threatened that he will prefer to die instead of giving this right to the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe. And during the British period, Babasaheb Ambedkar was forced to sign the Poona Pact.
During the British Raj, who were willing to give us justice, it was not possible to get a separate electorate. How can it be possible today when those who created caste, who made us the lower caste, when they became the rulers, and when today they are the well-established rulers in India?
Why don’t I think about this factor today? Because under the leadership of Babasaheb Ambedkar, under his able leadership, and during the British Raj, who were willing to give us justice, it was not possible to get a separate electorate. How can it be possible today when those who created caste, who made us the lower caste, when they became the rulers, and when today they are the well-established rulers in India? Why should we make an effort for this?
Again, I rake up this issue for the separate electorate. Not only that, I have given full thought to a separate settlement also. Because separate settlement was another effort by Babasaheb Ambedkar to improve our lot. But that also is not possible today. Again, I may give the reason here why it’s not possible. Because I know fully well there are 45 lakh hectares of land under plough. And more than that, land is available in India which can be brought under plough. But nobody has given that land to us and nobody will give. Why? Because of the Brahmanical social order in India. For that reason only, they have created caste. That there should be some caste who should possess land and there should be other caste who should plough the land.
There are many poor people in India who have left their villages and landed in the slums of the cities. My suggestion is that whether we are able to eliminate or annihilate caste or not, we must keep on moving towards that end. I say that we should acquire a new vision towards that end. It is okay. But till the caste is eliminated, what should we do? We should be able to handle the caste successfully in the interest of those people who are the victims of the caste system, something which can do the needful for them. So for that reason, I feel we should take note of the caste and the caste behaviour.
Now, as you have invited me here, I feel you would like to know something about my experiences. That we can create even a casteless society only by becoming rulers of India. More caste to the group of 600 castes known as the Bhaujan Samaj. Thank you.
This is part of ThePrint’s Great Speeches series. It features speeches and debates that shaped modern India.