Standing Truth on its Head: Ambedkar & BJP Agenda

This 14th April (2025), the nation celebrated Ambedkar Jayanti (anniversary). Many aptly celebrate it as ‘Equality Day’. Nationwide celebrations also witnessed lectures and seminars to recall the values and principles of the man who was a pioneer of the ideology and movements striving for equality and democracy.

Interestingly, those whose agenda is totally opposed to these values, those who are working for the opposite agenda of a Hindu Nation and base their ideology on Manusmriti also sing praises for Ambedkar on this day. Manusmriti dictates the values upholding the caste system and patriarchal values.

While paying lip service to Ambedkar, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat equated him to RSS founder K.B. Hedgewar. “Both dedicated their lives to social progress and held a common aspiration for nation’s growth”, he said.

Read Also: Does Babasaheb’s Ideology Match With Hindu Nationalist Politics?

Now what is common between Ambedkar's dream of social equality, democratic, federalism, abolition of caste and the RSS founder’s vision of a Hindu nation, based on the ancient holy books upholding caste system and patriarchy? These are polar opposites. But as paying tribute to Babsaheb has become mandatory for all for electoral compulsions, Bhagwat has to stretch things to pull Babasaheb in the ambit of list of their icons.

Not to be left behind, Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister, went on to criticise the Indian National Congress "Congress has become the destroyer of Constitutions. Dr Ambedkar wanted to bring in equality… Babasaheb wanted every poor, every backward to be able to live with dignity and with their heads held high, to have dreams and complete them…Congress has always treated SCs, STs, and OBCs as second-class citizens.”

In a way, Modi is distorting facts. It is true that Ambedkar was critical of Congress and Gandhi on various occasions; still it was Congress and Gandhi with whom he interacted maximally to achieve his goal of social equality in particular.

Gandhi is much criticised for betraying the cause of Dalits. The ‘Poona Pact’ has come under severe criticism, but all said and done, this was the most practical step toward affirmative action for Dalits. Gandhi was so touched by Ambedkar's positions that he understood the ills of caste in a deeper way and made eradication of untouchability as his major mission for the next two years. He went from village to village, ensuring that Dalits are permitted entry into temples and are able to draw water from the village wells. This also became the mission for many Congress workers.

This is the time when the founders of BJP’s ideology were singing praises of the values of the caste system and arguing that it is this system that has given stability to Hindu society!

Ambedkar’s yeoman service to the nation was recognised by the national leaders and they were keen that he should be part of the Constituent Assembly. In her biography BABASAHEB: My Life with Dr. Ambedkar, Savita Ambedkar quotes correspondence between Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of Constituent Assembly, Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister-elect, Sardar Patel, the Home Minister, G. Mavalankar, Speaker and BG Kher, the Chief Minister of Bombay state, to stress how all the top Congress leaders were extremely keen to have her husband elected to the Constituent Assembly unopposed. For instance, Patel wrote to Mavalankar on July 5, 1947: “Dr Ambedkar’s nomination has been sent to PM. I hope there would be no contest and he would be returned unopposed so that he could come here on the 14th.’ “

Congress ensured that Babasaheb won the seat for the Constituent Assembly and was made Chairman. The participation and contribution of Babasaheb, well supported by Congress, yielded fruits in the form of the Indian Constitution.

On the contrary, Organiser, the mouthpiece of RSS, the father organisation of BJP, came out heavily saying that this Constitution had nothing Indian about it. The ideological mentor-cum-fellow traveller of RSS, V D Savarkar was against it, saying that “Manusmriti is the Constitution for India.”

The same way, Ambedkar handled the responsibility of drafting the Hindu Code Bill, with Nehru backing him. The Code was opposed by some elements within, but mainly by the ideologues of Hindu Nationalism, who went on to burn the effigy of Ambedkar on December 12, 1949. While RSS-BJP were upholding the Brahmanical version of Hinduism, Babasaheb had already declared that “I was born a Hindu but I will not die a Hindu.”

Similarly, as RSS was talking of Hindu Rashtra, Babasaheb, in the revised edition of his book on Pakistan, opposed it on the ground that this may pave the way for Hindu Raj, which will be the “biggest tragedy for us”.

BJP’s Hindu nationalist ideology is deeply opposed to Babasaheb's dream of ‘annihilation of caste’ and has been deeply opposed by Modi’s ideology. Modi’s parent organisation, RSS, has floated Samajik Samrasta Manch, which talks about harmony among caste, rather than its annihilation.

Read Also: Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Hindu Right Wing and Indian National Congress

Currently some ideologues are arguing that since annihilation is not easy, so let us resort to strengthening sub-caste identities to get them more privileges! This will be a disaster for the values of our fraternity, the core principle of the Indian Constitution.

RSS is also trying to wean sections of Dalits by co-option and social engineering. RSS organisations are also inventing icons of sub-communities among Dalits and giving them values of patriarchy, and caste hierarchy along with anti-Muslim slant.

One could see the response of BJP to the implementation of the Mandal Commission, which was a major step toward social justice. BJP did not oppose it for electoral calculations but instead intensified their Ram Temple campaign. The way BJP is floating identity issues and derailing the path of social justice is highly despicable. At the same time, through various manoeuvres, it has also succeeded in turning a section of deprived youth as its foot soldiers who dance in front of mosques with naked swords.

In addition, it is Rahul Gandhi of Congress who has brought to the fore the implementation of the Constitution as the major path for social and economic justice. Putting the blame on the plight of Dalits/OBC (Other Backward Classes) and neglect of Babasaheb by Congress, is like putting truth on its head! At the same time, BJP is also putting the blame of its own doings on others.

The writer is a human rights activist, who taught at IIT Bombay. The views are personal.