Review
of constitution: A wrong step
By Kanshi Ram
(National
President BSP)
The
Government of India, lead by BJP, has appointed a Commission to Review the
Constitution of India prepared by the elected Constituent Assembly. This act of
the Government is blatantly wrong. The Constitution of India has not suddenly
emerged in 1950. At the base of it, lies the experiences of the lst India Act
of 1919 and the 2nd India Act of 1935. Besides this experience, the
Constitution is the outcome of the struggles of the Shudras and the Ati-
Shudras of India. Struggles of the Shudras and the Ati-Shudras.
The
I9th and the 20th Centuries are well known for the Struggles of the Shudras and
the Ati-Shudras of India. Shudra Struggles were lead by Mahatma Jotiba Phule
and Chhatarpati Shahu Maharaj of Maharashtra, Narayana Guru of Kerala and
Periyar Ramaswamy of Tamil Nadu. All these Struggles of the Shudras were
against the Brahminical Social Order and for the Self-Respect of the Shudras
and Ati-Shudras. Ati-Shudra Struggles were
lead by the Chandals of Bengal, Paryas of Tamil Nadu, Mahars of Maharashtra,
Malas of Andhra, Holayas of Karnataka, @ulayas of Kerala and Chamars of N-W
India. The latest Struggle of these people was lead by the Bahujan Samaj Party
from 15th August 1997 to 15th September 1997, on the occasion of the Golden
Jublee Celebrations the Independence of India. The Slogan of the Struggle was "Why is Bahujan Samaj Dependent in
Independent India?"
The
First India Act of 1919 was influenced by the Struggles of Mahatma Phule and
Chhatarpati Shahu Maharaj. The Second India Act of 1935 was influenced by the
Struggles of Dr Baba Saheb Arnbedkar. In the 1st India Act of 1919, the
Anti-Shudras were designated as Depressed Classes.
As
a result of the Ambedkarite Struggles during the 1920s and early 30s, the
Depressed Classes got a fair deal in the 2nd India Act of 1935. Two Schedules
were prepared for the Depressed Classes, and made part of the 2nd India Act of 1935.
The Depressed Castes were included as the Scheduled
Castes and the Depressed Tribes were included as the Scheduled Tribes. Then onwards, the Scheduled Castes and the
Scheduled Tribes started getting a fair deal from the British Government of the
day.
With
the background of these two India Acts of 1919 and 1935, and the 40 years long
Struggles of his life, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar got the opportunity to preside
over the Drafting Committee of the present Constitution of India. Thus, the
present Constitution of India bears the impact of two Centuries old Struggles
of the Shudras and Anti-Shudras of India.
Besides the utility of the Constitution to the Scheduled Castes, the
Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Caste, the SC, ST & OBC people are
emotionally attached to the Constitution. Therefore, they will not tolerate any
tampering with the Constitution.
Review of the Brahminical Social Order
Dr
Baba Saheb Ambedkar was not fully satisfied with the Constitution. He therefore
expressed his dissatisfaction before the Constituent Assembly on 25th November
1949. He told the Members of the Constituent Assembly, "on 26th of January
1950, we are going to enter into a Life of Contradictions. In Politics we will
have equality, and in Social and Economic Life we will have inequality. In
Politics, we will be recognising the Principle of one man one vote, and one vote one value. In our Social and
Economic Life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue
to deny the Principle of one man one value. How long shall we live this Life of
Contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny Equality in our Social and
Economic Life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by
putting our Political Democracy in peril. We must remove this contradiction at
the earliest possible moment, or else those who suffer from inequality will
blow up the Structure of Political Democracy, which we have so laboriously
built up.” The Less Brahminicals of the Constituent Assembly did not respond.
The Contradictions continued. Now after full 50 years, in 1999, the Utmost
Brahminicals of the BJP, instead of seeking a Review of the Brarnhnical Social
Order of perfect inequality, have appointed a Commission to Review the
Constitution itself. We, of the BSP, therefore, call it a “wrong Review”. We have
decided to oppose it tooth and nail. We will prepare the Bahujan Samaj to work
for the “Right Review” i.e. Review
of the Brahminical Social Order, as suggested by Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar.
Why his Hopes were belied?
Dr
Baba Saheb Arnbedkar hoped that those who suffer from inequality will blow up
the Structure of Political Democracy. He hoped that the Sufferer will Revolt
against the inequality. But there was no Revolt. Those who suffered from
inequality are suffering more and more. But still, no sigh of Revolt. Today,
after full 50 years of that Hope of Arnbedkar, we see that his Hopes were
belied. On the other hand, while celebrating the Golden Jublee of the Republic
on 26th January 2000, our President had to proclaim, "Untouchability has
been abolished by law, but shades of it remain in the ingrained attitudes
nurtured by the caste system. Though the Constitutional Provision of
Reservation in educational Institutions and Public Services flow from our
Constitution, these Provisions remain unfulfilled through bureaucratic
and administrative deformation, or by narrow interpretations of these Special
Provisions. It seems in the Social
Realm, some kind of a Counter Revolution is taking place in India. It is
forgotten that these Benefits have been provided not in the way of Charity, but
as Human Rights and as Social Justice to a Section of Society, who constitute a
big chunk of our population, and who actually contribute to our agriculture,
industry and services, as landiess labourers, factory and municipal workers.
There are signs that our privileged classes are getting tired of the
Affirmative Action provided by Constitutional Provisions.
On
this Golden Jubliee 1 would like to say that, let us not get tired of what we
have provided for our Weaker Sections, for otherwise as Dr Ambedkar pointed
out, the Edifice of our Democracy would be like a Palace built on dung heap”.
Review of the Constitution is Counter-Revolutionary
In
his proclamation, our President had made a mention to some kind of Counter Revolution taking place in
India. Normally, people do not understand the need of Counter Revolution, when
there is no Revolution at the first place. But the utmost Braminicals of the
BJP do understand it. They know that Ambedkar’s Hope of Revolt could not
materialize for full 50 years. This was taken as the inability of those who
were supposed to revolt. This inability of the Victims of the Social System,
encouraged the Beneficiaries of the System. In his is speech the President "There are signs that our privileged classes are
getting tired of the Affirmative Action provided by Constitutional
Provisions." No, they are not just tired, but they are simply fed up with
the Constitution and its Provisions. That is the main reason that they have
ordered the Review of the Constitution.
While
I am writing this Note, it was brought to my notice that the head of Sangh
Parivar was not happy with a mere Review. He had ordered the BJP Government to
simply scrap it, and go for a new Constitution based on the Brahminical Social
Order.
Fifty
years back, Ambedkar’s warning was ignored by the Victims of the System. But
the recent Counter Revolutionary Steps taken by the BJP has shaken these
Victims of the Unequal Social System. Today, all over India, they are revolving
against the "Review of the Constitution". But unfortunately, they are
making unorganised an unsystematic efforts all over India, Which is no Answer
to the Counter Revolution.) We must make systematic organised and meaningful
efforts, to meet the Challenge of the Counter Revolution. Before making any
such efforts, we must try to understand about our Inability to Revolt against
the oppressive features of the Unequal Social Order, during the last 50 years.
Lessons of the last 50 years
On
25th November 1949, the Poona Pact was 17 years old. At that time, the impact
of the Poona Pact was not fully realised by our people. even though it was
known to us
that to get Baba Saheb elected to the Constituent Assembly,
he had to be taken to Jesore and Khuina of Bengal. That was the main reason of
his Hope that his People will Revolt against the unequal Brahminical Social
Order. Later events showed that Spirit
of Revolt was killed by the Poona Pact, and we have entered a New Age.
Today, we know it well, as the Chamcha Age. The Brahminicals of
that time, managed to defeat Dr Ambedkar through their chamchas in 1952 in
Bombay through Kajroklar, and in 1954 in Bhandara through Ballor. These defeats
demoralised his followers. Since the 1st Mahar Parishad of Kolhapur, the Mahars
were solidly
supporting Baba Saheb Ambedkar during all his struggles
against the Brahminical Social Order. They were with him, in denouncing the
Poona Pact. By 1982, the situation had
changed. The Poona Pact was 5(rvyears old. No Mahar Leader was available
to denounce the Poona Pact. On the other hand, the beneficiaries of the Poona
Pact organised the Golden Jubliee Celebrations in Poona, with Smt lndra Gandhi,
the than Prime Minister of India as the chief guest, and Justice R K Bhole was
to preside over the programme. All the Mahar Leaders agreed to make the Golden
Jubliee Celebrations a grand success.
It
was in such a situation that the old followers of Baba Saheb came to Delhi, to
convince me that 1 should lead them to denouncing the Poona Pact. After lengthy
discussions with them, and after looking into the historical perspective of
those times, 1 agreed to lead them in denouncing the Poona Pact. At that time,
I realised that as a result of the Poona
Pact, our Right to Vote remained and Right to Elect our genuine Representatives
was lost. That was the main reason that our genuine Representative, Baba
Sabeb Ambedkar lost in 1952 from Bombay and in 1954 from Bhandara. On 24th
September 1982, we made preparations for denouncing the Poona Pact in Poona.
Police and administration in Poona thed to frighten us and cancel our
Denounciation Programme. But we persisted and told them that, the beneficiaries
of the Poona Pact have the right to Celebrate the Golden Jubliee of the Pact,
whereas, it is the victims who should have the right to denounce it, especially
when the followers of Baba Saheb Ambedkar were doing it in the past. Sensing
the political fall out of their celebration in the light of our denounciation,
the Prime Minister cancelled her programme. At that time, we denounced that
Pact from Poona to Jullunder, at 60 places. Thus, the fight against the outcome
of the Poona Pact, the Chamcha Age, was started from Poona, on 24th September
1982.
By
that time, the Mahars of Maharashtra have already deserted Ambedkar and had
become the fulfledged followers of Gandhiji. The Mahars of Maharashtra, instead
of fighting the Chamcha Age, they themselves had chosen to be the chamchas of
the ruling party, and started enjoying the crumbs. The Mahar conduct proved
infectious. The Chamcha Age spread speadily and all over India. Baba Saheb
Ambedk was trying to take the Shudras and Ati-Shudras towards a Bright Age from
the Dark Ages of the Hinduwata, but the Poona Pact dragged them into the
Chamcha Age.
Today
at the age of 68, the Chamcha Age is touching new heights. During Baba Saheb's
time, Congress was chiding him and later on his followers, by pointing to the
fact that most of the Reserve Seats for SC/ST were won by the Congress. But
today, the BJP is chiding the Congress by telling them that SCIST are more with
the utmost Brahminicals of BJP, rather than the Less Brahimicals of the
Congress Party. Today BJP is ruling India with the help of such partners, who
were opposing it and its Hinduwata ideology. Look at Bihar, George, Nitish,
Sharad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan. Where were they, what were they, before they
fell at the feet of Hinduwata? Still worse, look at the followers of Periyar
Ramaswamy Naicker of the Dravidian Moment. Where is their Self Respect
Movement? They seem to have surrendered their Self-Respect at the feet of the
utmost Brahminicals of the BJP, for minor crumbs. The DMK, PMK, MDMK, where are
they all? At the feet of BJP.
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