https://countercurrents.org/2022/04/turning-ambedkar-into-an-icon-bereft-of-his-principles/

This year around various RSS organizations are undertaking programs on this occasion. BJP is planning ‘Social justice week’ (Samajik Nyay Saptah). They will be projecting Babasaheb’s work on social welfare, empowerment and representation of dalits in the social processes. They plan to visit dalit households to spread the message about Central Government schemes which are supposed to benefit dalits and marginalized. RSS affiliate ABVP aims to propagate his work of social inclusion in different parts of the country.

This may be the biggest paradoxes of our times. These RSS affiliates stand for Hindu nationalism, the concept which is totally antithetical to what Ambedkar stood for, the concept of Indian Nationalism with secularism, socialism, democracy and social justice. He saw caste-varna system as backbone of Brahmanical Hinduism propagated by Hindu nationalists. In his struggles for reform within Hindu society he was not at all supported by Hindu Mahasabha- RSS. Be it Chavdar Talab or Kalaram Mandir the Hindu nationalists kept aloof from his efforts. He on one hand went on to burn Manusmriti as a rebellion against caste and gender hierarchy inherent in Brahmanical Hinduism, the ideological base of Hindu nationalism, and on the other went on to be the chief architect of India’s Constitution, which strove for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

By Dr. Ram Puniyani

16/04/2022

Read More