Democracy and the Persistence of Caste: Revisiting the Ambedkar – Gandhi Debate A Thesis Submitted To Sikkim University In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Biplove Kumar Department of History School of Social Sciences Sikkim University Gangtok, Sikkim India - 737102 March 2019 Acknowledgements The preparation of this thesis has received great deal of encouragement and support from diverse sources. I am indebted to all of them. I remain highly indebted to my supervisor Dr V Krishna Ananth for his intellectual inspiration, unwavering support and encouragement. It was under his guidance and positive space that I started this journey in 2014. The academic engagement, which was started at a National seminar, duly transformed into M. Phil and this Doctoral Thesis. Dr Ananth also interposed with significant comments and contributions. I am also grateful to him for inspecting this Doctoral Thesis thoroughly, correcting my grammar, rectifying my referencing errors and teaching me the ethics of historical research. I whole heartedly express my gratitude to Tridip Surhud, former director of Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. His teachings at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, (Gandhi Winter School 2016) - duly changed the dynamics of my study. Dr Nishikant Kolge through his immense support and inspiring words has always motivated me. I am thankful to his academic and moral support. I owe my gratitude to Dr E. K Santha, Dr. S. Jeevanandam and Shankar Narayan Bagh also. Their positivity has always provided me the right direction. I would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the esteemed organisation - Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi. With fully humility, I would like to thank them for providing me an opportunity to work under the prestigious Centrally Administered Doctoral Fellowship. I with due respect, whole heartedly express my gratitude to various institutions, library and resource persons for their immense support and help. I duly acknowledge the contribution of the Department of History, Sikkim University (2014- 2019), which has provided me the educational space and infrastructure. With full humility and immense respect I would like to thank “Didi” of our Department - Mrs Bishnumaya Karki. She provided her services and cooperation in the whole academic journey of mine effortlessly. Mr Dorjee Tamang owner of M/s Gloria Gallery (Printing and Xerox Shop) situated in 6th Mile Tadong Sikkim, have provided his services throughout this academic journey. I with my due respect and humility, would like to thank him for his support and encouragement. Friends and colleagues from Sikkim University and various other universities as well as institutions have made my academic journey sound and prosperous. I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to all of them. I will be failing in my duties, if I do not express my gratitude to my family members Shri Bindeshwar Jha, Mrs Krishna Jha, Pinki Jha, Ritu Jha Aneja and Aman Kumar Jha. Their unconditional love, motivation and support have crafted me and they are the powerhouse of my strength. Date: Biplove Kumar CONTENTS Page No. Introduction 1-33 • Introduction to the Research Problem • Literature Review • Objectives • Methodology • Chapters Chapter 1 34-86 Colonialism, Caste and Social Consciousness: Provenance of Democratic India • Colonialism and the Objectification and Solidification of Caste • Orientalising the Orient: Invention of the Morphological view of Caste • Consciousness and Consent: Age of Social Reform and Revivalist Movements Chapter 2 87-164 An Endeavour Towards Self Respect and Equality: Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and Democracy • Rise of a Thinker: Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar • Dr Ambedkar and Radicalism: Riddles in Popular Narrative of an Emerging Nation • Ambedkar’ s Foray into Electoral Politics: The Independent Labour Party and The Scheduled Caste Federation • The Constitution and Ambedkar Chapter 3 165-261 Meliorist Gandhi and Self Purification: Gandhi’s Incessant search for Swaraj • Mohandas and Early Life: Orthodoxy versus Orthopraxy • Gandhi’s Laboratory: The South African Discourse • Revitalization of Indian Politics: Gandhi and Swaraj (1914 -1932) • A Catalyst in Mahatma’s Life: Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and Beyond • Vision of a Lone Meliorist: An Incessant search for Swaraj (1940 - 1948) Chapter 4 262-335 Democracy, Social Endosmosis and Swaraj: Trajectories Towards Justice and Equality • Ambedkar – Gandhi Debate: Episodic or Transcendental? • The Sociology of Caste in Ambedkar – Gandhi debate • Self – Purification and Self – Respect: Trajectories of Emancipation • Democracy and the Ideas of Justice: Social Realisation, Swaraj and Social Endosmosis. Conclusion 336-347 • A detailed outcome of the study Bibliography 348-369 Appendices 370-378 , , , (Keep your critic close. You get to know your fault if someone criticizes you, and you have a chance to correct them. Give your critics shelter in your courtyard and listen to the criticism without annoyance, because critic is not your enemy, he is helping you to clean the rubbish from your life and thought processes without soap and water) By Kabir Das (Medieval Indian poet and Bhakti movement Saint) Dedicated to Bapu, BaBasaheB and IndIa’s Argumentative Tradition. Introduction “No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction” - Article 15 (2), The Constitution of India.1 India is known for its democracy. But beyond the proffered understanding of India’s political democracy, a perusal of Indian society generates a common view point that - the anathema of casteism has marred the idea justice and equality. From various episodes of social injustices to National Crimes Records Bureau’s annual statistics, the victimisation and exclusion on the basis of caste remains a glaring reality of contemporary India. Both counter factual debates and facts support this hypothesis. It remains one of the biggest paradoxes of Indian democracy. And it sustains under the belly of much magnified and dignified epithet of the ‘world’s largest democracy’. Historically, the founding fathers and mothers of India, not only shared apprehensions related to democratic institutions and its praxis; but also were fully aware of the fact that, addressing the caste issue, remained crucial towards building a cohesive nation, capable of fulfilling the needs and aspirations of a modern democratic society. The Republican Constitution of India formally through various Articles (14, 15, 17, 46 et al.), have abolished discrimination on the basis of caste. However, the canker of casteism with its vulgar phenomenon of untouchability has not only defied political and legal protections, but has also transformed itself under the new state apparatus. This phenomenon is being described in academic circles as the ‘politicisation of caste’. The atrocities that gyrate around casteism and its magnitude have shown the limitations of constitutional and legal protections. It culminates into constitutional deficit. This particular deficit has been created by 1Article 15 (2), Right To Equality (Part III, Fundamental Right). The Constitution of India, Retrieved From: https://www.india.gov.in/sites/upload_files/npi/files/coi_part_full.pdf, Date: 03/01/2017. 1 | P a g e behavioural pattern dipped into the institution of caste, which has duly blocked the constitutional morality. With the economic and political advances, caste has become more dynamic and the tools of domination and suppression have changed. Both social and political revolutions were integral to India’s struggle for independence. Social revolutions saw both reformist and revivalist movements and became the crucial part of modern India’s historical discourse. But, the whole project of social reform was either put on hold or remained secondary during the struggle for freedom. The Constitution of India, with its promulgation, duly focussed on the idea of social and economic democracies and made them the ‘prime concerns’ of the nation. Notwithstanding the ideas and vision on paper and the promise attached to it, in the post-independent India apart from some crucial social engineering projects, the whole idea of socio – economic reforms has lost its edge. Caste has not only been politicised, but has also, democratically institutionalised itself. And together they have negated and nullified the ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity which remained and remains crucial for equality and justice. Modernity and legality seem to be have been overshadowed by ‘traditional legitimacy’ of caste mindedness. Precisely, the idea of social justice and equality remains a distant dream along with victimisation and exclusion based on the institution of caste. As the source to institutions and legal protections, related to social justice and equality remains deeply rooted in India’s constitution and the present remains questionable - the past events certainly provide lessons for consideration. Several questions like, is democracy only about just institutions and power politics or is it beyond that? Is the ‘idea of India’ only about political democracy? If the founding fathers vouched for social and economic democracies, can political democracy alone become an end in itself? If the Constitution of India promised equality, justice and 2 | P a g e annihilation of caste through different tools, why does caste still persist with such magnitude?