Editor-in-Chief: Prem Kumar Chumber Contact: 001-916-947-8920 Fax: 916-238-1393 E-mail: [email protected] Editors: Takshila & Kabir Chumber VOL- 6 ISSUE- 12-13 September, 2014 www.ambedkartimes.com www.ambedkartimes.org Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Poona Pact and the Current Situation Efforts to purchase Dr Ambedkar former Prem K. Chumber (Editor-in Chief) www.ambedkartimes.com Residence in London for an Ambedkar Memorial Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar devoted his entire life pounds to purchase the property. proposed memorial will be a cul- for the emancipation and empowerment of the London (Ambedkar Times "I am delighted that the Govern- tural and educational centre that Scheduled Castes of India who for centuries have News Bureau)- Efforts are being ment of Maharashtra has sup- generations of Indians in the UK been compelled to live in deplorable situations. He made to convert the former Lon- ported the FABO, UK's initiative and visitors interested or inspired tried different ways for this noble cause while set- don residence of Dr B.R. Ambed- to purchase the house where Dr by Dr Ambedkar’s key roles in ting the goal of annihilation of caste. First, he did kar into an Ambedkar memorial. Ambedkar lodged while he was furthering social justice, human his best to improve upon the situations through re- He lived at 10 King Henrys Road studying at the London School of rights and equal treatment issues forms within Hinduism. But soon, he realized that London in 1921-22 during his can visit. The bedrooms would reforms within Hinduism will not work for the anni- higher studies in the London be ideal for some students from hilation of caste because without caste the whole School of Economics. English Dalit background from India who structure of Hinduism would come down like a Heritage has already recognised complete their post graduate ed- house of cards and that would not be acceptable to the historicity of 10 King Henrys ucation in the UK and visitors to its protagonists at all. Annihilation of caste at the Road, NW3 by installing a ‘blue London as part of Dr Ambedkar first instance requires doing away with the Hindu plaque’ on the property. This was missions worldwide, “said Arun Sastras (sacred scriptures/law books), which Hin- installed with the efforts of Kumar, General Secretary of duism would never agree to comply with. Thus the FABOUK and unveiled in Decem- FABO, UK. Efforts of Dr. other way and rather the only way open to seek ber 1991 by Roy Hattersley MP, Nitin Raut- Cabinet Minister Gov- casteless social order was to say good bye to Hin- the then Deputy Leader of Labour Economics," said Santosh Dass ernment of Maharashtra (GOM), duism and construct a new society under a different Party. In this house where he President of FABO,UK. Mr. R K Gaikwad IAS (Indian Ad- religion for the Ex-Untouchables. Dr. Ambedkar fi- lodged, Dr Ambedkar enriched "We are still awaiting of- ministrative services), Ex Secre- nally left Hinduism and established a new social-re- his academic studies and ficial confirmation," she said. tary & Commissioner Social ligious order popularly known as Navayan-Buddhism strengthened his resolve to chal- Total cost includes the current Justice Department, Mr. Ramesh (Buddha and His Dhamma) where no one is sub- lenge the impact of the Caste asking price for the property as Katke Deputy Registrar GOM, Dr jected to any social discrimination based on ascrip- System and British Rule in India. advertised at 3.1 million pounds, Vijay Kadam, Social Activist, Mr. tive and primordial notions of caste and creed. In The owner has put this 2,050 sq an estimated 2, 17,000 pounds Siddharth Kharat Private Sectary between, Dr. Ambedkar battled many struggles for ft property on sale. The Federa- as stamp duty (payable at 7 per to Dr. Raut, Mr. Lalit Khobragade the betterment of living conditions of the Scheduled tion of Ambedkarite and Buddhist cent on the eventual purchase Officer on Special Duty to Minis- Castes. Poona Pact was one of such major Organisations (FABO) availed this price), legal costs, house insur- ter are much appreciated who struggles. timely opportunity and ap- ance costs and necessary reno- gave their unflinching support for It was through this historic Pact that Dr. proached the Government of Ma- vations to the property. “The this dream project. Ambedkar got voice for his people in the provincial harashtra for a grant of 4 million legislative structures in the form of certain fixed number of seats. That was 1932. A lot has changed now in 2014. State in India is fast withdrawing from 100 DAYS OF MODI POINTS TO EMERGENT DISASTER its responsibilities towards the people. It firmly be- ECONOMY, RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS AREAS OF BIGGEST CONCERN lieves that market can save them from all the hard- ships they face. In other words neo-liberalism is The Ghadar Alliance, a US-based toto all corporate demands and Alliance. educational/watchdog coalition eliminate existing safeguards. “The privileging of eco- being projected as the messiah of the Scheduled created by concerned citizens in From the evidence available, can nomic growth as the primary goal Castes. In such a changed scenario downtrodden the wake of the BJP victory, today we not conclude that the minimal functions to dictate an amnesia has to rethink rather critically about the nature of released a comprehensive ‘100- protections for ordinary people are about Modi’s Gujarat record with struggle that they have to wage for the acquisition day report’ evaluating the per- being wiped out to favor corpora- US investors eager to capitalize formance of the Modi tions?” he added. on the Indian market,” added Pro- and protection of their rights. Quite interestingly, government’s first 100 days in The report is replete with fessor Snehal Shingavi, also a co- there is also fast emerging a viewpoint from within office. such detail as it compares the founder of the Ghadar Alliance. the academic circles of the Scheduled Castes which The report, titled “Fast Modi budget with the previous “And for many of us born and says that neo-liberal market economy offers lots of Track to Troubling Times,” (modi- United Progressive Alliance raised in a racialized US context, opportunities to the former untouchables who no- facts. org) is being released as budget, and points to such facts the targeting of minorities in India Modi prepares for his first visit to as the BJP government’s plan to by Hindu reactionaries uncomfort- longer face any social exclusion in the aftermath of the US as India’s Prime Minister. raise four times more money ably corresponds to our own ex- 1991 Globalizing India. This view-point also talks Modi’s US tour begins on Sep- through the ‘sale of State assets’ periences with anti-immigrant about Dalit billionaires and their own chambers of tember 26th. The report is the than the previous government did. racism here.” commerce. What it forgets is that in the free market first independent ‘people’s’ report The report highlights the empow- The report compares the economy only those are welcome who have the to be published since Modi came erment of violent gangs of the su- first 100 days of the new govern- into office, and identifies the premacist Hindu Right under the ment with Modi’s 12 years of rule capital to invest. And the capital in India used to be economy, religious extremism and Modi dispensation. In the three in Gujarat. “Examining Modi’s first the prerogative of the upper castes only. Lower human rights as grave areas of months since Modi took charge, 100 days in the context of his castes were deliberately kept out of reach of the concern. “We have been very there have been over 600 cases record in Gujarat reveals a number capital by all possible means under the garb of a dis- careful and meticulous in collect- of anti-minority violence in one of disturbing parallels, and these ing data only from public sources single state, Uttar Pradesh (a state parallels legitimize the report’s criminatory and hegemonic religious social order. to build an evidence-based and in the North), and several cases of predictive capacity,” said Man- What about the millions of lower castes who do not fully data-driven report,” said Raja forced ‘reconversion’ of Dalits davilli. have requisite capital to enter into the so-called non- Swamy, economic anthropologist (India’s so-called untouchable The report is the first in a discriminatory market economy in India. Would they and one of the authors of the re- castes) to Hinduism. “If there is series of actions that the Ghadar be not discriminated in this new economic order? port. “When it comes to the econ- one thing that is clear already it is Alliance is initiating to keep a con- omy, our report shows that the that under Modi, Hindu suprema- sistent and critical focus on the Neo-liberalism is no more different from capitalism. new administration wants to elim- cist gangs will virtually rule the BJP/RSS from outside India. We must not forget that the two main enemies of inate all democratic protections in streets. There is a palpable sense The Founding Committee the lower castes are, as cautioned by Babasaheb Dr favor of corporate giveaways and of insecurity today among minori- of the Alliance is intergenera- B. R. Ambedkar, Capitalism and Brahmanism. Both ripoffs. One example of this are ties, Dalits and women as non- tional, of multiple faiths, of di- of them are once again busy in fashioning new per- the amendments that the Modi state actors have turned verse professions and geography.