D. Raja
On December 6, 1956, B R Ambedkar attained immortality. Jawaharlal Nehru
said that, “B R Ambedkar deserves to be remembered always by us because
of his fight against social injustice. The great service that he had
rendered in framing the constitution of India”.
On December 6, 1992, the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya was demolished. The
demolition was a clear break from what our national liberation movement
and Constitution stood for. Hindus and Muslims fought
shoulder-to-shoulder against imperialists. The seeds of distrust and
disharmony were sown in those days resulted in Partition. Even after
that horrific event, India, its leaders, its Constitution and above all
the common people chose tolerance, plurality and secularism as the
binders of society. The demolition was yet another vulgar attempt to
paint Muslims as the “outside enemy”. It was the execution of the plan
of the legatees of M S Golwalkar and K B Hedgewar — to cast India in the
mould of a Hindu theocratic state. On December 6, it was not just a
historical structure that was mutilated. History itself was mutilated,
the wounds of which are still raw in the collective conscience of the
oppressed of this country. It was an attempt to obliterate the legacy of
Ambedkar, Periyar, Phule and Birsa Munda, who fought for justice and equality.
Since their inception, the RSS and other Hindutva forces have
maintained a commitment to the hierarchical division of society on the
lines of religion and caste, informed by Manu’s sense of purity and
pollution. It was no accident that the day they chose for the demolition
was associated with one of the tallest crusaders against the caste
system and hierarchy. December 6 marks the Mahaparinirvan of Babasaheb
Bhimrao Ambedkar. Even as the students of Babasaheb, the oppressed of
this country are marching to ensure justice and equality, Hindutva
forces are pushing the nation onto the path of exclusion and hierarchy.
At the symbolic level, the right-wing forces attempted to invisibilise
Ambedkar’s legacy by remembering December 6 as “Shaurya Diwas” to mark
the violence and violation by Kar Sevaks.
The Sangh stands in opposition to the modern, secular ideas upheld by
Ambedkar. Having experienced the barbarity of Hinduism, Ambedkar was
firm in his resolve that though he might have been born a Hindu he will
never die as one. As the ultimate rebellion against brahmanical
violence, Ambedkar rejected Hinduism and embraced Buddhism. For him, the
function of religion was the moral upliftment of an individual. For the
Sangh, it has always been political mobilisation against the “other”.
Observing December 6, to remember Ambedkar’s vision, is particularly
important in these times. The deeply problematic decision of the Supreme
Court in the Ayodhya title dispute has emboldened Hindutva forces.
Despite the posturing by the RSS and its ilk to recast Ambedkar as one
of them, it is clear that the only interest the right-wing forces have
is to polarise the society and draw political-electoral gains. Co-option
is their preferred methodology. But the mere garlanding of Babasaheb’s
statues is not fooling anyone. Each time portions about Ambedkar are
deleted from the school textbooks, the true face of the brahmanical
forces is exposed.
Ambedkar’s increasing relevance in India gives hope to everyone who
dreams of a society free of hierarchies, a society based on equality and
dignity. His legacy and relevance is also an undying challenge to the
reactionary and divisive forces that seek to perpetrate hierarchy and
humiliation. It is time we recognise the power structures of caste,
patriarchy, religious majoritarianism and thwart their attempts at
distorting Ambedkar’s legacy.
The demolition of Babri masjid is a dark blot on the social and
constitutional history of India. The champions of that act are now at
the helm, threatening everything Ambedkar stood for. As citizens of a
secular republic, it is imperative that we understand the enormity of
December 6 and draw hope for the collective fight to ensure equality and
dignity for all.
The writer is
general secretary, CPI.
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