*For A New Rendezvous With Dr Ambedkar*

*By Subhash Gatade*

..These are no ordinary times to discuss Dalit vision* or rather reach a
consensus around what could be called Dalit Vision.You have on the one hand
the upheaval witnessed in the country especially among educated young
dalits and broader democratic sections symbolised by the institutional
murder of Rohith Vemula and the mass movement which it has generated and at
the other end of the spectrum renowned Dalit leaders paying obeisance
before rabid reactionary forces. You have on the one hand slogans of Jai
Bhim and Lal Salaam being raised in unison on campuses across the country
and on the other the process of mythologising Dr Ambedkar and marginalising
‘his’ meaning being underway nonetheless.

Today as we embark on the task of understanding/analysing/debating Dalit
Vision we have before us its multiple readings. A new radical reading of it
visible in the experiences of the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle at IIT
Madras or Ambedkar Students Association at HCU or at the other end of the
spectrum people who venerate globalisation as the panacea of Dalit's ills
or tell us that with advance of capitalism castes will vanish away are also
there to proclaim that they are the true legatee of this vision.

In fact a possibility does exist that the emancipatory thrust in this
worldview is slowly being marginalised on the altar of pragmatic politics
or around our immediate concerns of daily life. As an aside it is important
to remember that Dr Ambedkar did have apprehensions about it and had
cautioned his followers to this effect. It is one of the most poignant
moments of his life that in a public meeting held in Agra in Feb 1956 -
where there was a large gathering of newly educated youth from oppressed
communities - he literally became emotional (in fact the late Prof Tulsi
Ram has written that he literally cried) when he realised that they were
not bothered about society or other depressed sections.

2.

How does one proceed then to define/debate/discuss Dalit Vision in the
present context, which is 'beyond rhetoric, decorative politicos and
Brahminical hegemony’?

One way is to 'collect' all those 'visions' or readings and find some
commonality from them. Definitely an impossible task ! What commonality
could be derived from a 'vision' whose one manifestation supports status
quoist politics and the other opposes it.

Perhaps the best option available is to not to look at its present day
exponents or its various manifestations available but its best exponent
ever and see how he envisioned things, how he analysed 'his' present or how
he forecasted 'future', what sort of cautions he shared with his comrades
to be taken note of and taking him as our pole star look at 'our' present,
and define Dalit Vision for our times.

This revisiting would also serve another purpose.

We have been witness to a new brand of converts supposedly to Ambedkar's
worldview who have started claiming him more aggressively these days
surpassing even his loyal followers. Our search would also help demonstrate
how the forefathers of these new converts derided him when he was alive and
even after his death and how he opposed their politics tooth and nail and
cautioned his followers about it.

Today when they are competing with each other to lay claim over his legacy
let us not forget that one of their ideologues had even penned a few
hundred page monograph 'Worshipping False Gods' in mid-nineties - which
spew venom against Dr Ambedkar (
http://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/falsifying-the-truth/203929) -
an act for which he was suitably rewarded by them when they held reins of
power at the centre for the first time, an act for which one is yet to see
any apology or self-criticism from them.

3.

Everybody would agree that it is challenging task to encapsulate a great
wo/man's vision in a few words- who as a public figure has impacted not
only her/his generation but future generations, initiated or channelised
debates in the society, led struggles, mobilised people, wrote thousands of
pages and left a legacy for all of us to carry forward ? And within a short
timespan available before us it is next to impossible to look at Ambedkar's
complete journey or rather quest to usher into - what Prof Gopal Guru
writes - 'enlightened, inclusive India' from a 'bahishkrut' India.

To save time one can focus more on the last decade of his life - the most
tumultuous period in his as well as the newly independent nation's life -
to know the important concerns which bothered his mind and how he
envisioned the future trajectory of the movement he led and how he tried to
chart a roadmap for the nascent nation with due support/cooperation and at
times resistance from leading stalwarts of his time.

It is true that such a focus would obviously rob us of an opportunity to
look at the historic MahadSatyagrah - which we in Marathi call as 'Mahad
Kranti' (1927) an important milestone in his political life, neither we
will be able to look at the historic rally he organised against KhotPratha-
a feudal practice - alongwith Communists, or his growing disillusionment
with Hinduism witnessed after the unsuccessful Satyagrah for temple entry
at 'KalaramMandir, Nashik' which continued for five years, the way he
formed Independent Labour Party or how he told his followers (in his speech
to Dalit Rail Workers) that they have to fight the twin enemies of
'Capitalism' and 'Brahminism' etc and many other milestones of his life.

4.

First of all what was his vision for independent India or how he looked at
a future roadmap for India. Yes, he has been rightly called the Chief
architect of the Constitution and it was his intervention/presence -
definitely with due support from Nehru and others - that he could include
important pro-people or pro-dispriviledged provisions into it but we cannot
be under any illusion that it was only 'his vision' which triumphed
ultimately. The making of constitution itself was marked by pressures and
counterpressures - from believers of radical change to the status quoists -
and what came out can at best could be called a compromise document between
various contending forces, ideas. Dr Ambedkar's separation between
beginning of political democracy in India with the advent of one man one
vote regime and the long hiatus he viewed for ushering into social
democracy- regime of one man one value while dedicating constitution to the
nation was in fact a reminder of the fact that the struggle is still not
over.

At another place he similarly underlined the limitations of such a
constitutional exercise in a backward society like ours

‘Indians today are governed by two ideologies. Their political ideal set in
the preamble of the constitution affirms a life of liberty, equality and
fraternity whereas their social ideal embedded in their religion denies it
to them’

*(As an aside let me mention here that I continue to have my reservations
about Dr Ambedkar's participation in the making of constitution. What would
have been the course of history if he would have decided to remain outside
and fought for inclusion of pro-people provisions? While one can marvel at
the strategic move by Gandhi who insisted for his inclusion - despite his
lifelong struggle against Congress - but why Dr Ambedkar felt compelled to
take up the work.Of course, that is for another time to sort out. )*

And if we are keen to know his 'vision' about a future India then it can be
discerned in the less discussed monograph 'States and Minorities : What are
Their Rights and How to Secure them in the Constitution of Free India'
which was basically a '[m]emorandum on the Safeguards for the Scheduled
Castes for being submitted to the Constituent Assembly on behalf of the
Scheduled Castes Federation' he led. (
http://www.ambedkar.org/ambcd/10A.%20Statesand%20Minorities%20Preface.htm)
The said monograph by the political organisation he led then does not limit
itself to 'safeguards' but also talks of danger of majoritarianism,
incompatibility of Hinduism with any change, and also suggests model of
economic development which he himself describes as 'state socialism'

5.

It would be quite enlightening for many of us how in the same monograph he
envisaged that 'state shall not recognise any religion as state religion'
and 'guarantee to every citizen liberty of conscience' but coming to the
aspect of protection against economic exploitation declared that 'key
industries shall be owned and run by the state' and even basic industries
'shall be owned by the state and run by the state'. He was of the opinion
that 'agriculture shall be state industry 'where - state shall divide the
land acquired into farms of standard size, and farm shall be cultivated as
a collective farm, in accordance with rules and directions by the
government and 'tenants shall share among themselves in the manner
prescribed the produce of the farm left after the payment of charges
properly leviable on the farm'

He further explains this clause in the following words:

'The main purpose behind the clause is to put an obligation on the State to
plan the economic life of the people on lines which would lead to highest
point of productivity without closing every avenue to private enterprise,
and also provide for the equitable distribution of wealth. The plan set out
in the clause proposes State ownership in agriculture with a collectivised
method of cultivation and a modified form of State Socialism in the field
of industry.'..'State Socialism is essential for the rapid
industrialisation of India. Private enterprise cannot do it and if it did
it would produce those inequalities of wealth which private capitalism has
produced in Europe and which should be a warning to Indians. Consolidation
of Holdings and Tenancy legislation are worse than useless.'

Interestingly he does not propose that the idea of state socialism should
be left to legislatures but by 'law of the constitution.'

The plan has two special features. One is that it proposes State Socialism
in important fields of economic life. The second special feature of the
plan is that it does not leave the establishment of State Socialism to the
will of the Legislature. It establishes State Socialism by the Law of the
Constitution and thus makes it unalterable by any act of the Legislature
and the Executive.'

6.

In the same monograph he clearly differentiates between 'Untouchables' and
'Hindus'.

Gone were the days when he felt that Hinduism would reform itself from
within and also it had been more than a decade that he had declared at
Yeola conference that he 'may be born a Hindu but he will not die a Hindu'.

He is unequivocal about the 'Hindu population which is hostile to them
(untouchables)' and emphasises that it is 'not ashamed of committing any
inequity or atrocity against them'. He is also not hopeful about their
situation under Swaraj

what can Swaraj mean to the Untouchables ? It can only mean one thing,
namely, that while today it is only the administration that is in the hands
of the Hindus, under Swaraj the Legislature and Executive will also be in
the hands of the Hindus, it goes without saying that such a Swaraj would
aggravate the sufferings of the Untouchables. For, in addition to an
hostile administration, there will be an indifferent Legislature and a
callous Executive. The result will be that the administration unbridled in
venom and in harshness, uncontrolled by the Legislature and the Executive,
may pursue its policy of inequity towards the Untouchables without any
curb. To put it differently, under Swaraj the Untouchables will have no way
of escape from the destiny of degradation which Hindus and Hinduism have
fixed for them...

He was very much aware about the dangers of majoritarianism implicit in the
way Indian nationalism has developed which according to him

[h]as developed a new doctrine which may be called the Divine Right of the
Majority to rule the minorities according to the wishes of the majority.
Any claim for the sharing of power by the minority is called communalism
while the monopolizing of the whole power by the majority is called
Nationalism.

And to protect the rights of the minorities (remember he does not restrict
himself with religious minorities here but also includes the 'scheduled
castes' in his definition) he proposes a form of executive which could
serve following purposes

(i) To prevent the majority from forming a Government without giving any
opportunity to the minorities to have a say in the matter.

(ii) To prevent the majority from having exclusive control
over-administration and thereby make the tyranny of the minority by the
majority possible.

(iii) To prevent the inclusion by the Majority Party in the Executive
representatives of the minorities who have no confidence of the minorities.

(iv) To provide a stable Executive necessary for good and efficient
administration.

In fact, his fears vis-a-vis the majoriatarian impulses were evident in the
political manifesto of the Scheduled Castes Federation itself— the
political outfit which was set up by him in 1942 which rejected the RSS and
Hindu Mahasabha as “reactionary” organizations.

“The Scheduled Castes Federation will not have any alliance with any
reactionary party such as the Hindu Mahasabha or the RSS,”

(See Vol 10 of Dr BhimraoRamjiAmbedkarCharitragranth, a Marathi book by
ChangdevBhavanraoKhairmode, or refer to
http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2016/04/appropriating-ambedkar#sthash.b53dwFL4.dpuf
)

And anyone who has looked at the making of Indian constitution would tell
us why he considered them 'reactionary' parties. History is witness to the
fact that they opposed its making and suggested in their organs that
instead of a new constitution, the newly independent nation should adopt
Manusmriti. A laughable suggestion right now but was seriously raised by
its proponents.

“The worst [thing] about the new Constitution of Bharat, is that there is
nothing Bharatiya about it… [T]here is no trace of ancient Bharatiya
constitutional laws, institutions, nomenclature and phraseology in
it”...“no mention of the unique constitutional developments in ancient
Bharat. Manu’s laws were written long before Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of
Persia. To this day his laws as enunciated in the Manusmriti excite the
admiration of the world and elicit spontaneous obedience and conformity
[among Hindus in India]. But to our constitutional pundits that means
nothing”.

(Excerpts of Editorial on Constitution, Organiser' November 30, 1949, whose
final draft had just been presented to the Constituent Assembly by Ambedkar.

In his monograph 'Pakistan or Partition of India' he reiterates his fears
vis-a-vis the possible majoritarian turn at the hands of those who vouched
for 'Hindu Raj'

“If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will no doubt, be the greatest
calamity for this country. No matter what the Hindus say, Hinduism is a
menace to liberty, equality and fraternity. On that account it is
incompatible with democracy. Hindu Raj must be prevented at any cost.”

– Ambedkar, Pakistan or Partition of India, p. 358

7.

Much on the lines of lack of debate/discussion around 'States and
Minorities' another important intervention during that period led by him
has also received little attention. It was related to the struggle for
Hindu Code Bill and happened to be the first attempt in independent India
to reform Hindu personal laws to give greater rights to Hindu women.
Attempt was to put a stamp on monogamy and also ensure separation rights to
Women and also grant them rights in property. We know very well that it was
a key reason that Ambedkar resigned from the Cabinet led by Nehru because
he felt that despite lot of attempts not much headway could be made in
granting these rights. In his resignation letter he underlined the
importance he attached to the bill

“To leave inequality between class and class, between sex and sex, which is
the soul of Hindu Society untouched and to go on passing legislation
relating to economic problems is to make a farce of our Constitution and to
build a palace on a dung heap. This is the significance I attached to the
Hindu Code.” - (See more at:
http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2016/04/appropriating-ambedkar#sthash.b53dwFL4.dpuf
)

It is now history how the Hindutva Right and the Conservative Sections
within the Congress coupled with the Saffron robed Swamis and Sadhus had
joined hands to oppose the enactment of Hindu Code Bill. In fact, this
motley combination of reactionary, status quoist forces did not limit
itself to issuing statements it opposed the bill on the streets and led
large scale mobilisation at pan India level against the bill. There were
occasions when they even tried to storm Dr Ambedkar's residence in Delhi.

The main argument peddled against Ambedkar was that the bill was an attack
on 'Hindu Religion and Culture' One can get an idea of the resistance to
the bill listening to the intervention by AcharyaKriplani on the floor of
the house. While supporting the bill he said

"I am afraid I do not see the point in Hindu religion being in danger,
Hindu religion is not in danger when Hindus are thieves, rogues, black
marketeers and bribe-takers. Hindu religion is not endangered by people who
want to reform a particular law . May be, they are over zealous, but it is
better to be over zealous in things idealistic than be corrupt in material
things. "

.. AcharyaKripalani on the floor of the house while discussing Hindu Code
Bill, (24 Dec 1949, Economic Weekly)

An excerpt from RamchandraGuha's book gives an idea about the resistance to
the bill.

“The anti-Hindu code bill committee held hundreds of meetings throughout
India, where sundry swamis denounced the proposed legislation. The
participants in this movement presented themselves as religious warriors
(dharmaveer) fighting a religious war (dharmayudh). The
RashtriyaSwayamsewakSangh threw its weight behind the agitation. On the
11th of December, 1949, the RSS organised a public meeting at the Ramlila
grounds in Delhi, where speaker after speaker condemned the bill. One
called it ‘an atom bomb on Hindu society’… The next day a group of RSS
workers marched on the assembly buildings, shouting ‘Down with Hindu code
bill’… The protesters burnt effigies of the prime minister and Dr Ambedkar,
and then vandalised the car of Sheikh Abdullah.” ('India after Gandhi',
Guha ; See more at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/bhagwats-ambedkar/#sthash.6ZNPVwHq.dpuf
)

Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of BJP’s predecessor, the Bharatiya Jan
Sangh, had said the Bill would “shatter the magnificent structure of Hindu
culture.”

In fact, like Mahatma Phule - whom he called the 'Greatest Shudra' and
included him in the triumvirate of Buddha, Kabir whom he considered to be
his teachers - the concern for women's emancipation always existed in
movement led by Ambedkar.

8.

I will accept and follow the teachings of Buddha. I will keep my people
away from the different opinions of Hinyan and Mahayan, two religious
orders. Our BouddhaDhamma is a new BouddhaDhamma, Navayan.

—Dr.BabasahebAmbedkar,Press interview on 13 October 1956 at Sham Hotel,
Nagpur

An important development in the last decade of his life was his decision to
embrace Buddhism with lakhs of followers. Apart from his deep fascination
for Buddhism from younger days, his conversion to Buddhism had also to do
with his contention that the 'untouchables' were in fact former Buddhists.
He elaborates it in his book 'The Untouchables: A Thesis on the Origin of
Untouchability(1948). ( For details :
https://kafila.org/2016/04/26/jayadeva-uyangoda-on-ambedkars-legacy/) Thus
it could be also said to be return to 'their' original religion than a
conversion. Interestingly one finds deep commonality between Dr Ambedkar
and JyotheeThass, the great Tamil-Buddhist Scholar, who also maintained
that 'Untouchables' were early Buddhists.

His 'conversion' to Buddhism was also renouncement of Hinduism which
according to him had

'[p]roved detrimental to progress and prosperity of my predecssors and
which has regarded human beings as unequal and despicable' ( See Pledge 19)

If one refers to the 22 pledges he administered to the followers on the
occasion then one can broadly categorise them into four -complete rejection
of Hindu gods (e.g. I will not accept Brahma,Vishnu and Mahesh as God and
will not worship them) and their worship and the related rituals (I will
not perform shraddhaPaksh or Pind Dana(Rituals to respect the dead),
acceptance of the principles and teachings of Buddhism, declaration that
'all human beings are equal' and 'no faith in divine incarnation'.

An important aspect of this 'return' or 'conversion' is the fact that it
was also a reinterpretation of Buddhism which he described as Navayan - a
new vehicle. Apart from a big monograph 'Buddha and His Dhamma' where he
tries to revisit Buddha one can get a glimpse of his reading of Buddha and
his teachings from the speech he delivered in Kathmandu, merely a fortnight
before his death which was posthumously published as 'Buddha Or Karl Marx.'
(http://www.ambedkar.org/ambcd/20.Buddha%20or%20Karl%20Marx.htm)

Summarising 'The Creed of Buddhism' he while underlining necessity of
'religion for a free society' says many things which would be rather
unacceptable to a scholar or follower of religion where he seems to reject
the 'necessity of God' as well as Shastrasand rituals . Like he says
'Religion must relate to facts of life and not to theories and speculations
about God, or Soul or Heaven or Earth' 'It is wrong to make God the centre
of Religion.', It is wrong to make salvation of the soul as the centre of
Religion, It is wrong to make animal sacrifices to be the centre of
religion; real Religion lives in the heart of man and not in the Shastras ;
Man and morality must be the centre of religion. If not, Religion is a
cruel superstition; It is not enough for Morality to be the ideal of life.
Since there is no God it must become the law of life.'

Ambedkar differentiates himself from popular definitions of religion first
by criticising the way religion(s) have tried to explain origin and end of
world around and says that its 'function is to to reconstruct the world and
to make it happy'. And he further explores source of unhappiness and does
not talk about 'sins' or 'otherworldly affairs' but says that 'unhappiness
in the world is due to conflict of interest and the only way to solve it is
to follow the AshtangaMarga' Further elaborating on 'Creed of Buddhism' he
says that 'private ownership of property brings power to one class and
sorrow to another' and 'it is necessary for the good of Society that this
sorrow be removed by removing its cause' While religions the world over
have remained the basis of 'othering' - which in extreme cases have
resulted in big genocides also - Buddhism as perceived by Ambedkar ' All
human beings are equal' 'Worth and not birth is the measure of man'.

While supporting 'War for truth and justice' and also emphasising that
'Victor has duties towards the Vanquished' in the last portion of his
summary of creed of Buddhism', he not only challenges monopoly of the few
over learning (Every one has a right to learn. Learning is as necessary for
man to live as food is) , he also discusses that ' Everything is subject to
the law of causation' and 'nothing is final,; Nothing is infallible.
Nothing is binding forever. Everything is subject to inquiry and
examination' 'Nothing is permanent or sanatan. Everything is subject to
change. Being is always becoming.'

9.

This speech - as the title shows - also throws light on his views about
Marxism. Of course it is not for the first time that he had expressed his
views on the theme. In his famous booklet 'Annihilation of Caste' he had
already made it clear that while he appreciates goal of Marxism but is
repelled by its Indian Practioners.

In this speech also he declares that 'Buddha is not away from Marx' if 'for
misery one reads exploitation',

For him non-violence is not an issue of principle. 'The Buddha was against
violence. But he was also in favour of justice and where justice required
he permitted the use of force. ' Ambedkar further writes that

'Violence cannot be altogether dispensed with. Even in non-communist
countries a murderer is hanged. Does not hanging amount to violence?
Non-communist countries go to war with non-communist countries. Millions of
people are killed. Is this no violence? If a murderer can be killed,
because he has killed a citizen, if a soldier can be killed in war because
he belongs to a hostile nation why cannot a property owner be killed if his
ownership leads to misery for the rest of humanity? There is no reason to
make an exception in favour of the property owner, why one should regard
private property as sacrosanct.'

He also underlines that even 'Buddha established Communism so far as the
Sangh was concerned'

The Russians are proud of their Communism. But they forget that the wonder
of all wonders is that the Buddha established Communism so far as the Sangh
was concerned without dictatorship. It may be that it was a communism on a
very small scale but it was communism without dictatorship a miracle which
Lenin failed to do.

Of course he underlines that

'The Buddha's method was different. His method was to change the mind of
man: to alter his disposition: so that whatever man does, he does it
voluntarily without the use of force or compulsion.

Perhaps the last para in his speech he makes concluding remarks in this
debate and seems to validate [what friend AnandTeltumbde calls] 'his
decision as confirming to Marxism, minus violence and dictatorship in the
latter.' (http://www.countercurrents.org/teltumbde160812.htm)

..It has been claimed that the Communist Dictatorship in Russia has
wonderful achievements to its credit. There can be no denial of it. That is
why I say that a Russian Dictatorship would be good for all backward
countries. But this is no argument for permanent Dictatorship. ...

We welcome the Russian Revolution because it aims to produce equality. But
it cannot be too much emphasised that in producing equality society cannot
afford to sacrifice fraternity or liberty. Equality will be of no value
without fraternity or liberty. It seems that the three can coexist only if
one follows the way of the Buddha. Communism can give one but not all.

10.

As I said in the beginning these are no ordinary times to discuss Dalit
vision. We have before us an India where (to quote Prof AchinVanaik)

‘..[t]he centre of gravity has shifted perhaps decisively to the right, in
three crucial spheres : economy, secularism and democracy.’

It is an India where the political dispensation at the centre is busy
furthering the exclusivist/majoritarian worldview of HindutvaSupremacism
coupled with the neoliberal agenda under the glib talk of development and
concerted attack has been unleashed on (what Ambedkar defined as )
minorities of various kinds and other deprived sections.

What can be said to be the contours of Dalit Vision for our times then.

It will have to be necessarily for ensuring that'state shall not recognise
any religion as state religion' and 'guarantee to every citizen liberty of
conscience', it has to be against 'majoritarianism of every kind' and
specifically -to prevent majority from forming a Government without giving
any opportunity to the minorities to have a say in the matter.- for women's
emancipation,, for State ownership in agriculture with a collectivised
method of cultivation and a modified form of State Socialism in the field
of industry, against inequalities of wealth which private capitalism
produces, it will have to be necessarily for annihilation of caste as ‘The
existence of the Caste System is a standing denial of the existence of
ideals of society and therefore of democracy.’(Speech on the ‘Voice of
America’ radio (20 th May 1956) It will be for reason and rationality and
scientific temper and not for dumbing down of minds.

It does not need reminding that it will not be based on sanitisation or
vulgarisation of Dr Ambedkar in any form as it is being experimented these
days. While his appropriation by the Hindutva Right has been widely
commented upon and exposed as their attempts to carve out a 'suitable'
Ambedkar for their project based on exclusion and hatred, much needs to be
done to expose his projection as a free market economist. (
http://www.countercurrents.org/teltumbde110911.htm) Scholarly sounding
pieces have appeared based on selective quotes from his vast corpus of
writings to project him as a 'Free Market Economist” [
http://blog.mises.org/16519/ambedkar-the-forgotten-free-market-economist/ ]
or Capitalism is being valorised supposedly for annihilation of caste
(Chandrabhan Prasad and MilindKamble, Manifesto to end caste : Push
Capitalism and industrialisation to eradicate this pernicious system, Times
of India, 23 rd January 2013). It is being argued by noted columnists and
upcoming industrialists from the oppressed communities that

Capital is the surest means to fight caste. In dalit's hands, capital
becomes an anti-caste weapon; little wonder that the traditional caste code
prohibits dalits from accumulating wealth. Dalit capitalism is the answer
to that regime of discrimination. The manifesto demands promotion of dalit
capitalism through a variety of means-procurement, credit options and
partnerships.

An important point is Dalit Vision will have to be wary of 'Hero worship'
or laying 'liberties at the feet of a great man' as it can culminate in
'subverting of institutions' in a Democracy as Ambedkar has warned us. In
fact he had this to say while dedicating Constitution to the nation.

“This caution is far more necessary in the case of India than in the case
of any other country. For in India, Bhakti or what may be called the path
of devotion or hero-worship, plays a part in its politics unequalled in
magnitude by the part it plays in the politics of any other country in the
world. Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But
in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to
eventual dictatorship.”

Everybody can see that this caution has contemporary import. It was only
last month that a responsible minister of the ruling dispensation told us
that honourable PM was "God's gift to India'

While Bhakts can rejoice about this unique gift to India every sensible
person would agree that if this trend is allowed to continue then it is a
'sure road to degradation and eventual dictatorship.'

*(Draft of Presentation made at a Discussion on ‘ Dalit Vision : Beyond
Rhetoric, decorative politicos, Brahminical hegemony and Maharashtra’ 1 st
May 2016, organised by India International Centre, Maharashtra
SanskritikaniRannanitiAdhyaynSamiti and Working Group on Alternative
Strategies)*

*Subhash Gatade* is the author of Pahad Se Uncha Aadmi (2010) Godse's
Children: Hindutva Terror in India,(2011) and The Saffron Condition: The
Politics of Repression and Exclusion in Neoliberal India(2011). He is also
the Convener of New Socialist Initiative (NSI) Email :
*[email protected]
<[email protected]>*

__________

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