On Ambedkar, some politics of convenience

A row over remarks made about B R Ambedkar inside parliament has degenerated into a scuffle outside the House with schoolboy-level claims and accusations – of being pushed, shoved, and people getting too close for comfort. The chain of events started with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks in the Rajya Sabha in which he sought to criticise the Congress for what he called false posturing about Ambedkar, and for failing to give the architect of the Constitution his due. But the way he phrased his criticism exposed him and his party to the charge of posturing and insincerity which he accused the Congress of. Shah’s comment that the chanting of God’s name would be better than chanting Ambedkar’s name was an opportunity for the Opposition to accuse him of denigration of the icon. Shah claimed that his words were taken out of context, but words have their meanings and resonances, and in politics, they become weapons.

No party can accuse others of being false and pretentious about Ambedkar without inviting that criticism to itself. Even parties that have a predominantly Dalit following, such as the BSP, have been found wanting in their commitment to the cause that Ambedkar espoused. Ambedkar had differences with all shades of politics that existed in his time and even had debates with Gandhi. He had co-operation and differences with the Congress, and had differences with and strong opposition to Hindu conservatism. He was at odds with the Hindu orthodoxy on many issues such as the Hindu Code Bill which he pushed when he was in the Union cabinet. Ambedkar resigned from the cabinet, frustrated with the position of the Hindu conservatives on the Bill. He differed with the Hindu orthodoxy and leaders such as Savarkar on many other issues. Ambedkar was, essentially, a social reformer and his vision conflicted with politics in many respects. The nation should be grateful to him for his role in shaping a secular and egalitarian Constitution. It is only recently that the BJP accepted Ambedkar into its pantheon. For politics, he is more an electoral icon than anything else. His role as a social reformer and Constitution builder is praised, but the aim has always been the electoral returns that his name fetches.

In the fracas outside parliament, two BJP MPs claimed to have been injured and are in hospital. An FIR has been filed against the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi for allegedly pushing them. The Congress has accused BJP members of obstructing them and injuring senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge. The charges should be investigated, however childish or exaggerated they are, but without the vindictiveness that has marked politically loaded cases in recent times.