How Gandhi got his way

It was on the 26th of September that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi broke his 6 day fast over the infamous Communal Award qualm with Babasaheb Ambedkar over separate electorates for Dalit communities.

When two stalwarts from the Indian intelligentsia were engaged in an intense kerfuffle; Image Source: DNA India

The argument of separate electorates for the Dalit communities in India was one of the most controversial chapters in the history of the Indian freedom struggle which brought two stalwarts in a head on conflict with each other. After Congress boycotted the First Round Table Conference Gandhi along with Congress were invited for the Second Round Table Conference where they were met with considerable ideological opposition from B.R. Ambedkar.

The Second Round Table Conference in England was called to discuss better constitutional reforms within India which had the assent all the separate identities of India based on religion, language, caste etc. The proper political representation of all these major and minor identities were to be ironed out in the Second Round Table Conference (1931).

The outcome of this Conference was the infamous Communal Award (16th August 1932) by Ramsay Macdonald which ensured separate electorates for Muslims, Sikhs, Depressed castes, Europeans among other marginalized groups. B.R. Ambedkar had always supported such a provision since he saw the caste issue, not as a social problem but a political plague. Gandhi publicly opposed separate electorate for Dalit communities although he was silent on similar provisions being meted out to Muslims and Sikhs. His logic was that caste based reservations were aimed to further divide the society on caste lines.

In lieu of strong ideological opposition from B.R. Ambedkar, Gandhi declared a fast unto death as a response to the Communal Award on the 20th of September 1932 from Yerawada jail. His logic was that this time he would die for everybody and nobody, a demographic he called the "Harijans". During the course of the next six days, B.R. Ambedkar would understand the political mileage of Gandhi and the ramifications of such a hunger strike on the future of the Dalit communities in India which was at the risk of being threatened by such a public stunt. Taking heed of such a delicate situation, B.R. Ambedkar decided to compromise. The Poona Pact was a witness to such a forced agreement between Gandhi and Ambedkar where they both agreed on joint electorates for the representation of Dalits within the upcoming political framework of India.

To understand the implications, ramifications and nuances of this long standing clash we must analyze the backdrop out of which both Gandhi and Ambedkar emerged as individuals. Gandhi in his philosophical realm was deeply religious in nature and wanted to preserve all the tenets of a Hindu society. Although he was against caste based discrimination he was not against organizing a utopian social structure based on caste hierarchy. Till 1922 he was extremely vocal about his support for establishing the perfect caste system. The Communal Award was definitely a blow to this goal. "I have to resist it with my life" were his words to Ramsay Macdonald after the Communal Award was announced.

B.R. Ambedkar had been bred out of sharply contrasting conditions as compared to Gandhi. He firmly believed that even in the Gandhian utopian the Shudra's and the Ati-Shudra would continue to hold their servile status. To alleviate their conditions and to incorporate them into the mainstream society would require prompt affirmative action in the form of constitutional provisions. This was Ambedkar's position on the caste issue. Gandhi stood for preserving the caste system while Ambedkar was up in arms to annihilate it. Ambedkar himself belonged to the Mahar caste and was denied a holistic education because of his caste background.

Thus, it is no surprise that the two individuals got engaged in such an ideological kerfuffle. In a 1955 interview with BBC, he properly expressed his hostility where he said over the question of separate electorates Gandhi "showed me (Ambedkar) his (Gandhi) fangs". He also says that "Gandhi was never a Mahatma; I refuse to call him a Mahatma". Thus, when seen from the viewpoint of the scholarly champion of Dalits in India the saintly and merciful imagery of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi begins to appear a bit distorted.