You would be surprised to know Baba Saheb’s opinion about Gandhi that he shared during his interview with BBC’s journalist.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is not just considered as Indian Constitution’s principal architect, but he is also a star that shines brightly in the story of Indian freedom struggle.
During his struggle for the upliftment of Dalits, he had also unmasked several cruel Congress leaders and exposed their hypocrisy as well as double standards. Unfortunately, most of his work remains out of the limelight.
This may sound incorrect, but Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was one of the leaders whom Babasaheb exposed!
While interacting with a journalist from BBC during February 1955, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar cracked the whip on Gandhi and said he was never a Mahatma.
Bhimrao Ambedkar spoke on several issues during the concerned interaction and shared his opinion that Indians only looked at Gandhi’s external appearance.
Gandhi and Ambedkar met each other for the first time during one of the Poona Pact meetings in 1932.
“I knew him better than others and he opened his real fangs in front of me. His devotees knew nothing about him,” said the Dalit icon during the interview.
“I felt quite surprised due to the western world’s interest towards Gandhi. He was just an episode in the history of India. Gandhi had already vanished from the memory of people in India after his death, but Congress party gives a holiday on his birthday and other events. They celebrate in order to review people’s memory. Gandhi did not fundamentally change anything. “
Related: British provincial governor described Mr Gandhi as being as “cunning as a cartload of monkeys”
At one point, Gandhi published Harijan Sevak in Hindi, Harijan in English, and Harijan Bandu in Gujarati.
“He was never a Mahatma; I refuse to call him a Mahatma.”
During the interaction with BBC, Babasaheb pointed out that Gandhi was deceiving people. Someone should compare statements made in English journal and his Gujarati journal. Difference is clear. He presented himself as the opponent of untouchability and the caste system in the English paper. On the other hand, in his Gujarati publication, he appeared orthodox. He wrote in support of the caste system, the Varna Ashram Dharma. Gandhi supported everything that kept India down.
During the course of the interview, the father of Indian Constitution stressed on the point that western world only read Gandhi’s English paper, and Gandhi was advocating democratic ideas in them to impress foreigners. Gandhi wasn’t Garrison in the United States who fought for Negros. Political independence would have come without Gandhi as well.
Related: Arundhati Roy accuses Mahatma Gandhi of discrimination
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s books deserve to be cherished. His research and speeches should be heard by every Indian to understand his contribution towards ending inequality in the society. Let’s hope that Modi Government at least releases currency notes and coins on BR Ambedkar soon.
Disclaimer: The article is based on the interaction between Babasaheb and BBC’s journalist. The audio is widely circulated. However, the website cannot take any responsibility for the authenticity of the concerned audio. We do not wish to hurt anyone’s sentiments or defame any individual. This content cannot be used to file cases against the author or website in any court of law around the world.
