It is said that
great visionaries are born only once in a millennium. India was fortunate to
have them at the most critical juncture of its modern history, when its social,
political and economic character was taking a concrete shape. Along with
Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was
there to guide India’s tryst with destiny. He was a fearless advocate of Liberty,
Equality and Fraternity, as reflected in the secular and egalitarian
Constitution of India drafted by him.
Ambedkar’s
upbringing and childhood experiences had a lasting and profound influence on
his worldview. As a youngster, he loved reading Kabir’s dohaas. Later
on, somebody gifted him a book on Buddha. Both Kabir and Buddha fashioned his
political ideology and vision for the Indian society. Although he embraced
Buddhism rather late in life, he had great admiration for its three principles,
which he adopted as his life’s philosophy. These principles were Prajna
or rational understanding, Karuna or compassion, and Samata or
equality. The Constituent Assembly’s choice of the Wheel of Law as our National
Symbol had his clear stamp. The Wheel of Law is Buddhism’s Dhamma Chakra,
which graces our National Flag as well as the National Emblem.
He was a great
democrat and advocated an impartial and uniform set of values for the
society. He believed that the individual has certain absolute rights, which the
Constitution must guarantee. Under no circumstances should the individual be
required to surrender these constitutional rights in exchange of a privilege.
He was convinced that only the parliamentary democracy was ideal for
implementing social and economic reforms in the society in a peaceful and
constructive manner. He regarded the democratic form of government as a symbol
of respect towards common people. This was the only system that held the
government accountable to the people. In order to strengthen democracy, he
stressed upon robust constitutional morality, which means adoption of
constitutional methods for removing injustices.
Ambedkar was a
relentless votary of protecting fundamental rights in our Constitution. He
believed that the Constitution should be effective enough to banish inequities
in the society and set up fair and responsive systems and structures of
governance. While drafting the Constitution he was aware of the need for
removing the contradictions that existed in the society. For example, the
principle of one-person-one-vote and one-vote-one-value ensured equality to
all, but in reality, there were widespread prejudices in the society. He was
aware of the dangers from so-called new ideologies to the Constitution. However,
he was confident that the people of India could tackle these dangers. In his
last speech in the Constituent Assembly he had said, “By independence, we have
lost the excuse of blaming the British for anything going wrong. If hereafter
things go wrong, we will have nobody to blame, except ourselves.”
A country’s
Constitution is the roadmap to its growth as civilization. Knowing that a just
and fair constitution was essential for all-round development, Ambedkar made
secularism a vital part of the Constitution’s basic structure. He relied upon
it to achieve liberty, equality and justice for all. For several reasons, some
of our religious beliefs as well as caste structures have been unjust to
various weaker sections of the society, including women. We must defend
secularism not only for harmonious co-existence of all faiths, but also for
ensuring equality and greater opportunities for the vulnerable sections,
especially women. We all know that women often become victims of patriarchy,
which owes its existence to religion and caste based traditions. Therefore, the
best way to enable women’s empowerment would be to strengthen the country’s
secular character. Ambedkar had frequently cautioned that to abolish secularism
was to assault the Constitution’s basic structure. This could pose a threat to
India’s independence. Indeed, it would be tragic if we failed our Constitution,
which has provided a robust protection to the people against unjust acts.
Ambedkar
regarded the caste system as an instrument of oppression and an anti-national
tradition. For centuries, it had deprived a vast section of Indians of their
dignity as human beings. In his opinion, villages were strongholds of casteism.
However, he was not an armchair intellectual. He was always prepared to put his
beliefs and principles to test in everyday situations. When he learnt that
Dalits in Maharashtra’s Mahad town were not allowed to use a local water tank,
although animals were allowed, he decided to resist this assault on human
dignity. On 20 March 1927, he led about ten thousand Satyagrahis to the
town to assert the human right to drink water from a tank meant for public. The
upper caste Hindus attacked his procession, but the Satyagrahis remained
peaceful although there were many ex-soldiers among them. He could easily have
behaved like a firebrand and incited counter-violence. Instead, he chose the path
of non-violence.
Ambedkar had a
sophisticated approach towards development and empowerment. He did not have
much confidence in Socialism as the right ideology for empowering the deprived
masses. Yet, he believed that the state must take initiative to plan the people’s
economic life and ensure impartial distribution of wealth. He had his doubts
regarding Capitalism too, but he was aware of the good it could do if regulated
properly. Consequently, he advocated limiting of the powers of both government
and capitalists so that they did not have unchecked control over people’s
economic life. If he were alive today, Ambedkar would have noted with
satisfaction that, ever since India switched over to the capital-driven market
economy, a new class of Dalit entrepreneurs has emerged. Free enterprise has
become the most effective weapon against casteism. However, his advocacy of
state ownership of agricultural land has not found much currency in the 21st
century India. There is an increasing realization that job reservation has done
more harm than good because it discourages quest for excellence. Similarly,
demand for quality education has weakened due to reservation quotas. As a
result, our government-run educational institutions are decaying. Still, this
does not take away from the essence of Ambedkar’s vision of India becoming a
just society through Constitutional means. Indeed, his advocacy of a high
degree of constitutional morality is relevant even today.
His thoughts
have acquired greater significance in today’s India. This is because he has
remained the Constitution of India’s authentic voice long after his demise. His
vision has guided various legal experts and courts in interpreting the
Constitution and its social and legal magnitude. Generations of lawyers and
parliamentarians have quoted him while understanding, highlighting or
explaining the fundamental rights and directive principles enshrined in the
Constitution of India. He remains a role model for today’s youth, especially
social activists and reformers.
Our first Prime
Minister, Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru had visualized India’s tryst with destiny. Babasaheb
Bhimrao Ambedkar built a clear and reliable roadmap for making that vision a
reality.
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