Baba Saheb Ambedkar
Counterpoint: Ambedkar can devour Amit Shah
By Vivekanand Jha*
Why ‘Baba Saheb’ Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is unequivocally a god for humanity?
During my sophomoric years, when I visited my village, my outrage knew no bounds when I witnessed that a substantial number of people from so-called lower castes had no right to sit on chairs in the Dalan of Brahmins; they sat on the floor, whereas the chairs were reserved only for fellow Brahmins.
The Hindu society, for centuries, has been thriving on this social disparity, where Brahminical hierarchy sought to trample them under their autocratic foot, even seeking to monopolise the custody of gods and goddesses, exposing the greater majority of Hindus, lower down, to live as their foot soldiers. Moreover, outrageous as it might appear, the sunlit truth cannot be denied that Brahminical atrocities afflicted upon the vast section of Hindu society, diabolically contributed towards the degeneration of Hinduism, resulting in its fragility as centuries paved the way for millennium.
Since time immemorial, Brahminical hierarchy has sought to appropriate all the privileges and rights, by floating the bogus and preposterous propaganda of Brahmins being the most favoured sons and daughters of gods and goddesses. Gautam Buddha sought to dismantle this institutionalised prejudice by invoking the concept of egalitarianism – Sangha was laid open for one and all: even a sweeper was accorded the same treatment as a king. Thus Buddha was the greatest revolutionary the world had ever seen. The decision of Baba Saheb Ambedkar to embrace Buddhism as his raison d’etre and summum bonum before he called his earthly quits, was because he experienced the naked form of discrimination in the social hierarchy. His humiliation at every stage by the Brahminical social order turned him off. Thus the glorious life of Baba Saheb Ambedkar awakened the people living at the margin of society for millennia, to discard the caste-ridden religion of Hinduism, which has its tangible basis. Ambedkar was the most educated among his contemporaries. Jawahar Lal Nehru sought to demolish him in myriad ways – even withholding the conference of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award upon him given his immense contribution to elevate the lives of a multitude, seeking justice and parity with a higher Brahminical class. Significantly, not even Baba Saheb, a great Brahmin scholar Rahul Sanskritiyaan, too, embraced Buddhism at the fag end of his life, publicly articulating the principle and doctrine of egalitarianism which Buddhism so plausibly exhibits.
Hence, the latest controversy over a comment by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Ambedkar has stirred a hornet’s nest. Why would Shah commit such a flagrant faux pas?
It is very disappointing that Home Minister Amit Shah made remarks about Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha, implying that Ambedkar’s devoted followers were engaged in a misguided quest for god. This comment and the subsequent responses are now being characterized as a political dispute between the protective Treasury benches and an enraged opposition. The fear following the slip is evident in the Home Minister’s news conference and the Prime Minister’s counterattacking tweets, which are unparalleled in their political history.
Baba Saheb enjoys the status of god in the eyes of his followers, for his staunch defence of his people was anything but human; his moves and actions to empower his own people against the avalanche of odds stacked against them since time immemorial were the acts of an earthly god.
Shah’s was an obvious derogatory remark against one of the most prodigious sons of this country who sought liberation for his people languishing at the bottom of society for millennia.
Amit Shah’s comment has been dubbed blasphemous by Ambedkar’s followers. Consequently, the Opposition is seeking to capitalise on this situation, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party seems to be on the back foot.
Doesn’t the censorious observation of Amit Shah against Baba Saheb Ambedkar indicate that ‘ all is not well’ in the BJP? Does it have anything to do with the rise of Yogi Adityanath as the most potent successor to Modi? Especially when the Yogi is backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh? Could this have been the likely trigger behind Shah’s latest outbursts?
Whatever! Shah has dealt a heavy blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s calculated action to consolidate Hindus as a monolithic unit. Moreover, Adityanath’s slogan ‘Batenge to katenge’ has been gaining traction among Hindus. This also could have contributed to Shah’s jittery.
In short, Amit Shah, with his derogatory comment against Ambedkar, has brought the BJP on the back foot, which will continue to reverberate intermittently in the polity.
*Author, Academician and Public Intellectual. The views are personal.
The article highlights the profound reverence Ambedkar commands for his fight against caste oppression and his transformative vision for equality. Amit Shah’s remarks, viewed as dismissive, have understandably sparked outrage among Ambedkar’s followers, exposing political fault lines. This controversy underscores Ambedkar’s enduring legacy as a symbol of justice. BJP must tread carefully to mitigate backlash.