Paper presented on Feb 13,1994 at the five-day “national seminar” con ducted by the Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla, at Mysore from Feb. 10 on- Social Justice and constitutional changes.

I want to make it clear that Tam neither an academic nor a scholar like you all but an ordinary journalist and writer and a student of society, an Ambedkarite and a Buddhist.

My paper is not couched in what is called scholarly language and hence you may say Tam not using a “responsible language”. We don’t know such a language. This is our language – blunt, short, straight, Words that come from the bottom of our heart. I don’t believe in word mongering. That is why my paper is one of the shortest.

 Bottom up; this is essentially a view from the bottom of the society. The city of Bombay may look wonderful from the top of the Malabar Hill but go down to the Dharavi slum, you can’t bear the stink. Go to its “Red Light area”, you can see the ugly sex-exploitation. The living hell on earth. So ours is essentially a Dalit point of view which cannot hide the stink, its filth, the horrifying, agonizing ugliness.

After 45 years of so-called “independence”, we the Untouchables feel suffocated under this upper caste rule. I am reminded of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s famous pronouncement on Jan.26 1950 while moving the new constitution of India. As its first Law Minister and its chief draftsman on the floor of the Constituent Assembly.

 “On this day, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics, we will have equality and in social and economic life, we will have inequality. We must remove this contradict- Hon at the earliest moment, or else those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which this Assembly has so laboriously built up”

Who is the villain? We, the Untouchables of India, are sorry to say that the upper caste rulers of India, ‘whom we trusted, whose solemn promise we believed, have wrecked this Constitution. Scholars who spoke before me said the existing Constitution was made by the elite and for the elite. But it is now the elite which are breaking the Constitution, Not our people.

 Babasaheb predicted that those cheated of social and economic Inequality would blow up the political democracy. But what is happening today is that the rulers themselves are dynamiting the Constitution of India. Actually, it is the oppressed Bahujan Samaj masses of India, particularly the Untouchables and Muslims, who should have done it. But it happened the other way. On the Babri Masjid issue, it is this Prime Minister, Home Minister, and this Supreme Court that subverted the Constitution.

A Constitution is meant for the people not vice-versa. Our existing Constitution is flouted not by the oppressed, the over 85% of the Bahujan Samaj (BS) but by a minority of less than 15% constituting the Brahminical Social Order (BSO). Manu Dharma Shastra: This is because the existing Constitution is opposed to the Constitution of Manu (Manu Dharma Shastra) which governs the lives of this tiny BSO.

Their latest war and violence over the Marathwada University, Mandal Com- mission Report, Punjab, Kashmir, Babri Masjid demolition etc., and the Current “caste war in UP” proves that they are determined to enforce the Constitution of Manu to promote their Jati interests. So what is going on today all over India is a war between the alien Manu Dharmawadies and the peace-loving, innocent Bahijan Samajwadies, the producers of wealth, the original} inhabitants of India, and the Adi-Dravida and Dravidian inheritors of the great, glorious Indus Valley Civilization, That doesn’t mean we are happy with the existing Constitution. A charge was made in the Constituent Assembly itself that Babasaheb being the “architect of the Constitution” he should bear all the blame, Dr. Ambedkar immediately refuted this allegation and said he was totally dissatisfied with the Constitution and would be the first to burn it,. The BSO made use of Dr. Ambedkar and imposed a Constitution which could not enforce social justice to over 85% of the Bahujan Samaj including the upper caste women, These very anti woman Manuwadles are today demanding the Common Civil Code for Muslims They have no love for their women but they have fallen in love with Muslim women, Babassheh introduced the Hindu Code Bill to confer equal rights on Hindu women, Who opposed it? Forty-five years of our experience with the upper caste rulers’ ties convinced us that they will never, ever implement any of the provisions of the Constitution, So, what is the use of this Constitution? We do admit there tire so many thinking, concerned members of the BSO who are worried about this war and violence raging in the country and they t0o feel that  change is necessary. But such kind hearted fellows are in a minority and the BSO will never accept them.

Western model: The main defect of the Constitution is that it has copied the western model of democracy. Democracy itself is a western concept. ‘That doesn’t mean we are opposed to democracy. We are opposed only to “parliamentary democracy”, based on “majority rule”. Western countries favor democracy” because by and large they have a homogenous socially or “nation-states”. But India, Asian and African countries don’t have nation- states (D. Smith: State and Nation in the Third World, 1989, Wheat Sheh Book Sussex, UK).

Whenever democracy goes against its interests, the west will not hesitate to destroy democracy, it destroyed a democratically elected govt. in Algeria (1992). The destruction of Soviet Russia is another example.

India is not a “nation” but a group of nations striving to be a nation, said Dr. Ambedkar. The Constitution he describes India as a “Union of States”. It is for saying this passion was impounded and the Supreme Court refused to pronounce a judgment on my petition. But every time we strive towards the nationhood, this Manuwadi upper caste “nation” strikes a blow and the nation-making process is getting delayed. That is why when every other Asian country is galloping, we have become a first-class beg- Bar country Sick country. Sick people, But it is the country that is sick. The Upper caste “nation” is happy. Harshad Mchia, an insurance clerk, is a crore pail today.

Three separations: So, under the Indian conditions, the oppressed Bahujan Samaj, victim of the Aryan brahminical aggression, can elect its genuine representatives only under an indigenous form of democracy after ensuring “Three separations” as envisaged by Babasaheb Ambedkar. (V.T. Rashekar: Textbook of Dalit Movement in India, Dalit Sahitya Akademy, Bangalore-3, 1994).

That means self-determination within India.

The Bahujan Samaj includes six segments: (1) Scheduled Castes (20%), (2) Scheduled Tribes (10%), (3) Back- ward Castes (35%). Total 65% plus (4) Muslims (15%), (5) Christians (2.5%) and (6) Sikhs (2%). In all 85%.

To this we have to include all upper caste women who are also victims of the BSO.

Multi-national character: If every ‘section of this multi-national country has to retain its identity and remain happy then a new constitution has to be framed based on “Three Separations

What are these three separations? (A). Political Separation: through separate electorate for Dalits. (B) Territorial separation: through separate settlement for Dale. (C) Religious separation: through conversion to Buddhiven for which Dalits need not depend on others. These “Three Separations” may be extended to other five segments and also the BSO if such & demand comes forth from others also. ‘The principle behind “Three Separations” is to ensure that this “united States of India” comprises several autonomous separate but equal nations”. What is separate in fact must be made separate by law.

Scholars and experts here may dismiss me, disagree with me bat you can’t prove me wrong. History is on our side.

 I will elaborate what is meant by “Three Separations” during the question-time.

 Conclusion: SC/ST/BCs are India’s indigenous people. Unable to bear the Anyan oppression about 20% of them went over to egalitarian religions like Islam, Christianity and Sikhism, even Veerashuivism. That means the so- called religious minorities – who are not “minorities” at all – are al) our blood relations, These six segments together constitute the Bahujan Samaj, This Bahujan Samaj has remained together and jointly fought the BSO all through history.

I am fully aware of the fact that all these three religions have some elites upper caste converts. About 5 % of the Muslim population. Is elite and they may not come up with us.

 Since the Country belongs to the original inhabitants of India (BS), we love this country, our motherland, much more than the alien Aryans.

Akhand Bharat: So, we are the only comes who love the people of India and its country. Which includes Pakistan, Bangladesh and Lanka also, All the people living in those countries are ‘also our own people. It is possible to reunite them and forge the “United States of India” (Akhand Bharat of our dreams if the “Three Separations are assured not only to Dalits but all the sections including members of the BSO Who are also Indians.

When I use the words of Akhand Bharat, don’t think that Lam stealing An RSS slogan. They have stolen ours but after realizing the dangers of Akhand Bharat to the Aryans, the RSS, they have disowned it today neither the RSS nor any other Hindu Nazi party talks about Akhand Bharat.

Only such a new political setup can ensure a healthy and happy India or is the existing tensions will increase and. will lead to more and more violence and eventual breakup which will further worsen the position of BSO.

I conclude by repeating the warming of Babasaheb that those who suffer from inequality may blow up this democracy. This is our final warning. We request our well-wishers in the BSO like Subramanian, IPS, to put some sanity into its head. | doubt how far he will be successful. If any of the intellectuals here are interested in learning something new (for which you have to forget the old). I have brought some literature.

Article extracted from this publication >> April 29, 1994