E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & TimesSir Chunilal Mehta, Rajagopalachari, the president of Congress for that year, G.D. Birla, a very wealthy industrialist and friend of Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad,Jayakar, Sir Purshotamdas Thakurdas, a millionaire patron of schools, andothers. The untouchable delegates were Dr. Solanki and Dr. Ambedkar.Ambedkar, a distinguished lawyer with international experience who hadplayed a big part at the Round Table Conference in London, owned a powerfullybuilt body and strong, stubborn, superior intellect. His father and grandfathersaw service in the British Army. The accumulated bitterness against Hindus thatrankled for centuries in millions of Harijan breasts found expression inAmbedkar's Himalayan hatred. He preferred British raj to Hindu raj; hepreferred Moslems to Hindus and once thought of leading the untouchablecommunity, as a body, into the Mohammedan Church. Age-long Hindu cruelty tohis unhappy brethren filled him with anger, spite and vindictiveness. If anybodyin India could have contemplated with equanimity the death of Gandhi,Ambedkar was the man. He called the fast 'a political stunt'. At conference, hefaced the great Hindu minds, and he must have derived sweet pleasurewatching them court him in o to save their beloved Mahatma.Gandhi had always wanted one electorate for Hindus Harijans, which wouldjointly elect a solid block of Hindu and Harijan members of the legislativecouncils. He even opposed reserving a fixed number of seats in that block forHarijans because it would accentuate the cleavage between the twocommunities. But on the 19th Gandhi told a deputation—much to its relief—that he had become reconciled to reserved seats.Ambedkar, however, demurred: the Harijans who would occupy the reservedseats in the legislatures would be elected jointly by Hindus and Harijans andwould, therefore, feel considerable restraint in airing Harijan grievancesagainst Hindus. If a Harijan denounced Hindus too fiercely the Hindus mightdefeat him in the next election and elect a more docile untouchable.To meet this legitimate objection, Sapru had evolved an ingenious plan whichhe presented to the conference on September 20; all Hindu and Harijanmembers of the legislatures would be elected jointly by Hindu and Harijanwww.mkgandhi.org Page 353