Q. Evaluate the importance of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in the history of nationalist movement.
Ans:
Ambedkar was not only a political leader and social reformer but also a scholar and thinker. He was a one of the leading nation-builders of modern India and played important role in the upliftment of oppressed class and broadening the social base of the nation. He is also known as the father of the Indian Constitution because of the pivotal role he played in the making of the constitution. ©crackingcivilservices.com
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The importance of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in the history of nationalist movement:
- Presented his idea of nationalism:
- He attempted to elaborate a full-fledged theory of nationalism and sought to apply it critically to the Indian situation. Nationalism in Ambedkar initiated to object internal oppression as well as external domination.
- Nationalism in Ambedkar stems from his spirit of dignity both for the people and for the country.
- He wanted equality and civil rights for oppressed classes as equality and fraternity are essential for a democratic form of government.
- In view of Ambedkar, nationalism means expression of inner unity of a people and it is a process of social assimilation.
- Therefore, irrespective of caste, colour and creed, nationalism gets perfect harmony if social brotherhood of men prevails everywhere within a nation.
- He emphasized to fight against casteism, linguism, communalism and separatism because he was of the opinion that these social evils divide the people into small social units which are against the spirit of nationalism.
- He stressed more on the freedom of people, although he did not have any contrary view regarding India’s physical freedom.
- For him the freedom from internal form of slavery and exploitation was no less significant than the freedom from alien rule.
- And a nation can be truly free if it ensure the freedom of the different classes comprised in it, particularly of those who are treated as the servile classes.
- He disliked the British rule as it was indifferent in eradicating some social evils. Simply because intervention in the then existing code of social and economic life would give rise to resistance.
- In view of Ambedkar, unless and until the Indian people secure political power and unless that power was concentrated in the hands of the socially suppressed section of the Indian society , it would not be possible to completely eradicate all social , legal and cultural disabilities under which that section suffered.
- Recognizing the demerits of diversity of language in a country, Ambedkar opined that different language should not obstruct the growth and spirit of nationalism
- He cited examples of Canada, Switzerland and South Africa which have diversified languages.
- Yet, Ambedkar laid stresses on the need of a common language in order to strengthen the unity and spirit of nationalism as well as to remove racial and cultural conflicts.
- Ambedkar had complete faith in democracy. Democracy is superior because it enhances liberty.
- Ambedkar viewed democracy as an instrument of bringing about change peacefully. Democracy does not merely mean rule by the majority or government by the representatives of the people.
- He viewed it as a way of realizing drastic changes in the social and economic spheres of society.
- He dedicated himself to the task of upliftment of the untouchable community. Soon he won the confidence of the- untouchables and became their supreme leader.
- To mobilise his followers he established organisations such as the Bahishkrit Hitkarni Sabha, Independent Labour Party and later All India Scheduled Caste Federation.
- He led a number of temple-entry Satyagrahas, organized the untouchables, established many educational institutions and propagated his views from newspapers like the ‘Mooknayak‘, ‘Bahishkrit Bharat‘ and ‘Janata‘.
- He participated in the Round Table Conference in order to protect the interests of the untouchables.
- He has written extensively on various social and political matters. ‘Annihilation of Castes‘, ‘Who Were the Shudras‘, ‘The Untouchables‘, ‘Buddha and His Dharma‘ are his more important writings.
- He preferred a political solution for the issue of untouchables through guaranteed access to education, employment and political representation.
- He became the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly and played a very important role in framing The Indian Constitution.
- Ambedkar had immense faith in the bright future and evolution of this country. Even when he spoke of attaining freedom for India, his ultimate goal was to unite the people.
- In Poona Pact, 1932, he gave up the idea of separate electorate for the sake of unity among the people.
- Without Ambedkar’s intervention to bring about some measures of material empowerment of the former untouchables, they would have been unable to their rightful place in national life.
- It was Ambedkar‟s political challenge which compelled congress to appreciate the national significance of the problem of the scheduled castes and to adopt certain measures which significantly contributed towards broadening and strengthening the social base of Indian nationalism.
- Ambedkar contributed to nation building, given that he favoured the elimination of caste considerations, such as un-touchability, which was preventing India from constituting itself as a unified and a modern nation.
Some critics like Arun Shourie have highlighted the limitations in the role of Ambedkar:
- Ambedkar opposed the mainstream national movement led by the congress.
- He thought that abrupt departure of the British would result into political domination of the upper castes. Therefore, a political settlement was necessary clearly mentioning the powers of and safeguards for the untouchable community
- Political unity will not alone bring about such kind of nationalism rather social unity would be more congenial for bringing about a sense of human brotherhood which induces a sense of oneness.
- He demanded separate electorate for dalits for the political representation of untouchables. Only when Gandhi took to the fast unto death in 1932, he agreed for the Poona pact.
- The dalit self-assertion under him did not go very far, and their politics was soon appropriated by the Congress in the late 1940s. It was mainly because Gandhian mass nationalism had acquired an unprecedented public legitimacy.
- In the election of 1946, the Scheduled Caste Federation lost badly. While negotiation for the modalities of transfer of power, Ambedkar responded furiously to this “crisis of representation” and staged a mass satyagraha to prove his popular support.
- But the agitation did not last long due to lack of organisation.
- When Congress ministries resigned in 1939, Muslim League celebrated the occasion as a “day of deliverance. Ambedkar supported them.
- Some critics say that he was motivated by selfish careerist interests.
- Ambedkar‟s appointment to the Viceroy‟s Council in 1942 thus allowed the colonial power to benefit from the support of some Indians while simultaneously harshly repressing the quit India movement.
- But, If his true motives had been careerist, he would not have resigned from Nehru‟s government in 1951.
The Indian national struggle in the first half of the 20th century was not merely a struggle to wrest political power from foreign rule but also a struggle to lay the foundation of a modern India by purging the society of outmoded social institutions, beliefs and attitudes.
It is true that Ambedkar didn’t participate in the mainstream national movement and even opposed it. But he did focus on the internal dimension of freedom. And this kind of attitude indirectly contributed much by laying the broad social foundation on which the present Indian nation state stands. ©crackingcivilservices.com
