LAQ : Write about the controversy between Gandhi and Ambedkar on the Rights of the Dalit people

Question

Write about the controversy between Gandhi and Ambedkar on the Rights of the Dalit people. Discuss the Namashudra movement with reference to this.

Answer

Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B.R. Ambedkar had different views on Dalit rights, and their debate on this issue is a significant part of Indian history. The following points can help to understand their debate:

1. Ambedkar argued that Dalits needed political power to be able to achieve their rights, while Gandhi believed that social reform was more important than political reform.
2. Ambedkar also criticized Gandhi’s advocacy of “Harijanism,” which he saw as an attempt to reinforce the caste system by creating a new caste of Dalits.
3. Ambedkar saw the Hindu religion as the root cause of Dalit oppression and argued that a separate electorate for Dalits was necessary to ensure their political representation.
4. Gandhi opposed the separate electorate and fasted in protest against it. He believed that political representation should be based on merit rather than caste.
5. Gandhi suggested the idea of inter-caste marriage as a means to eliminate caste discrimination, while Ambedkar rejected this idea, stating that it did not address the core issue of social inequality.
6. Ambedkar called for the abolition of the caste system, while Gandhi believed that the caste system could be reformed from within and made more democratic.

The Namashudra movement was a part of this controversy. Namashudras were a scheduled caste in Bengal, who had been deprived of their traditional rights due to the discriminatory policies of the higher castes. They were mainly employed in menial jobs and had no access to education or political power. The Namashudra movement aimed to bring about social and political reforms for the community.