[ad_1] Reservation policy was started in India under the Poona Agreement. There were differences between Gandhi and Ambedkar over the demand for a separate constituency for the depressed classes. Gandhi was in favor of separate constituencies for Muslims and Sikhs, but not for Dalits. Gandhi felt that this would divide the Hindu society. Due to this the conflict between the two increased.New Delhi: The story of how India's reservation policy was formed is very interesting. The conflict between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar played an important role in this. This conflict came to the fore in the Second Round Table Conference held in London in 1931. Ambedkar wanted separate constituencies for the Dalit class, while Gandhi was against it. Gandhi accepted separate constituencies for Muslims and Sikhs, but he/she considered such a provision for Dalits to break the Hindu society. Ultimately, the Poona Pact of 1932 paved the way for joint constituencies and reserved seats for the Dalits.How Gandhi and Ambedkar came face to faceGandhi's fast unto death became a major reason behind this agreement, which put tremendous pressure on Ambedkar. However, Ambedkar later exposed the flaws in this agreement and termed Gandhi's fast as 'dirty and disgusting'. Anand Teltumbde's new book, 'Iconoclast: A Reflective Biography of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar', contains a detailed description of this entire incident.What happened in the second round table conferenceThe Second Round Table Conference (RTC), which took place in London between September and December 1931, was an important event in India's freedom struggle. This conference also shaped India's reservation policy. The most important aspect of this conference was the meeting between two great personalities of modern India – Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. There was conflict between Ambedkar. Gandhi was representing the Indian National Congress and Ambedkar was representing the Dalit class.How did the conflict escalate?At the center of this conflict was Ambedkar's demand for separate constituencies for the Dalit class. Separate constituencies meant that Dalit class voters would choose their political representatives from among Dalit class candidates. Similarly, there would have been separate constituencies for Muslims, Sikhs and Anglo-Indians. Mahatma Gandhi was prepared to have separate constituencies for Muslims and Sikhs, but felt that such a provision for Dalits would divide the Hindu community rather than uniting it. This stance of Gandhi was not acceptable to Ambedkar at all.Ambedkar raised questions on GandhiIf we look back, both Gandhi and Ambedkar were right in their respective stances. Ambedkar was practical, his/her pragmatism stemming from his/her experience of being a Dalit. Gandhi was an idealist. With a long-held dream of eradicating untouchability, he/she believed that separate constituencies for Dalits would further isolate them. As such Gandhi engaged in negotiations with Muslim leaders and agreed to many of their demands. Ambedkar noted Gandhi's reluctance to extend similar concessions to the depressed class. Because of this dual attitude, Ambedkar accused Gandhi of pitting one community against another.Gandhi signed, but Ambedkar did notThe events that took place after the Round Table Conference were equally important. Since the conference remained inconclusive, the British Prime Minister asked the committee to sign an application. In this letter the Royal Crown was authorized to resolve the issue and it was also said that they would accept its decision. Mahatma Gandhi signed, but Ambedkar did not. The failure of the conference led to the resumption of the Civil Disobedience Movement, in which the British government took action against Congress leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi.When Gandhi was imprisoned in Yerwada jailMahatma Gandhi was arrested and imprisoned in Yerwada Jail in Pune (then Poona). Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister approved separate constituencies for Muslims, Sikhs and Dalits. Angered, Mahatma Gandhi went on a fast unto death, putting immense pressure on Ambedkar to agree to a joint electorate with reserved seats for the Dalit class. Ambedkar finally accepted defeat. The Poona Act of 1932 was signed and thus the reservation policy of India was born.Anand Teltumbde's new book, 'Iconoclast: A Reflective Biography of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar' (published by Penguin India), describes the heated debate between Gandhi and Ambedkar during the Round Table Conference.clash of two giantsminority committee [दूसरा गोलमेज सम्मेलन, 7 सितंबर से 1 दिसंबर, 1931 तक लंदन में आयोजित] In 1857, Ambedkar faced Gandhi and stated his/her position clearly. Gandhi had discussions with Muslim leaders. On October 1, 1931, Gandhi requested a week's adjournment from the committee as he/she was busy in discussions with Muslim leaders.Ambedkar wrote a letter to TOI from LondonAmbedkar wrote a letter to The Times of India from London on 12 October, saying, "We are reliably informed that in his/her conversations with our Muslim friends, Mahatma Gandhi has demanded that his/her Fourteen Sutras As one of their conditions of acceptance, they must resist the claims of the depressed classes and small minorities."In his/her letter, he/she predicted that the Second Round Table Conference would end in a failure for which Gandhi would be responsible. Ambedkar said that Mahatma Gandhi's method of pitting one community against another was very clear.Ambedkar raised questions about GandhiGandhi's displeasure towards the demands put forward by Ambedkar caused a widespread reaction among the people of the Dalit class all over India. Several telegrams were sent to Ambedkar asking him/her not to trust Gandhi, indicating that Ambedkar was their real leader. Gandhi also received some telegrams but he/she was overwhelmed by the flood of support for Ambedkar. This stunned Gandhi and shook him/her beyond his/her worst imaginings.Despite his/her busy schedule, Ambedkar was giving private interviews, issuing clarifications, statement after statement and giving speeches all over London. A reception was hosted for the delegates by the British Royal Family. In this, Ambedkar narrated sad stories about the conditions of the untouchables which shocked King. Ambedkar had put Gandhi in trouble. Ambedkar possessed the power of knowledge, will, energy, courage, love for his/her people and passion for his/her cause, which made him/her a persuasive force before the world, including India's then greatest leader, Mahatma Gandhi.Soon after, the so-called Indian national press launched an aggressive campaign against Ambedkar with great intensity. his/her claim of indifference towards the transfer of power was strongly criticized. The result was that he/she became the most despised man in India, described as uncultured, rowdy, a puppet of the British and a threat to Hinduism. In response, Ambedkar retaliated by sharply criticizing his/her revered figure, Mahatma Gandhi.'Gandhi failed as a unifying force'A few years later, Ambedkar described Gandhi's role in the RTC. he/she said that 'Unfortunately, Congress chose Mahatma Gandhi as its representative. A worse person could not have been chosen to guide the destiny of India. he/she failed as a unifying force. Mahatma Gandhi presents himself as a man full of humility. But his/her behavior at the Round Table Conference showed that Gandhi could be very petty in the race for victory.As a result of his/her successful negotiations with the government just before his/her arrival, Gandhi treated the entire non-Congress delegation with contempt. Whenever anyone gave him/her a chance, he/she used to insult them. Openly told them that they were nobody and only they, as representatives of the Congress, represented the country. Instead of uniting the Indian delegation, Gandhi widened the rift.'Ambedkar had clearly supported self-rule during the first Round Table Conference. Believing that the condition of the Dalit class could improve only in independent India. However, he/she feared that the government would be dominated by a majority that would not be friendly towards the interests of the depressed class. At the last meeting of the Minority Committee the leading representatives of Muslims, Depressed Classes, Europeans and Anglo-Indians presented a memorandum outlining their general and specific demands.These demands included inclusion of Dalit classes in public services, army and police force. Ambedkar and [रेट्टामलाई] Srinivasan submitted an additional memorandum requesting special representation for the Depressed Classes in all provincial assemblies and the Central Assembly in proportion to their population in India. he/she also advocated separate constituencies, proposing a referendum before implementing joint constituencies with reserved seats, but not until twenty years later.Mahatma Gandhi, seeing this minority compromise, completely disagreed during the committee meeting. While acknowledging Ambedkar's abilities, he/she suggested that Ambedkar's bitter life experiences had clouded his/her judgment. Gandhi said, 'It is not a fair claim that Ambedkar is being suppressed when he/she attempts to speak for all the untouchables in India. This will create division in Hinduism. I have no objection to the untouchables converting to Islam or Christianity. I cannot possibly tolerate what would happen to Hinduism if there were these two divisions in every village. Those who talk about untouchables do not know how Indian society runs. I will oppose this with my life.Gandhi's hostile declaration created a wave of tension among the untouchables. he/she held meetings in almost all the provinces condemning it. At the Ninth Depressed Classes Conference held in Gurgaon on October 31, 1931, Rao Bahadur MC Raja protested against Gandhi's hostile attitude towards the demands of the untouchables and gave his/her powerful presidential address supporting Ambedkar. They did not behave well with them. he/she declared that there was a need for separate constituencies with reserved seats to elect the real representatives of the Depressed Classes.Gandhi explained his/her support of separate constituencies for Sikhs and Muslims by saying that they were well organized. he/she said that they were untouchable and had little political consciousness, they were treated horribly and he/she wanted to protect them against himself.When Ambedkar thought Gandhi was 'joking'Gandhi had asked Ambedkar whether he/she would be ready to review the demands made for the depressed classes. he/she replied that Gandhi could believe that Ambedkar and his/her comrades were always ready to criticize him/her. Gandhi came up with the suggestion that in an election based on joint constituencies, if a Dalit candidate is not elected, he/she could go to court against the winning candidate and claim that the latter had won only because of Hindu votes.Ambedkar realized that Gandhi was joking, but he/she was serious to the extent that he/she asked Ambedkar to comment. Ambedkar just laughed. Gandhi could have resolved this issue with Ambedkar by accepting joint constituencies with reserved seats for the Dalit class. But Gandhi was not ready to compromise with Ambedkar. When the British Prime Minister saw that there was no unanimous solution to the problem of minorities, he/she asked all the members of the committee to sign an application authorizing him/her to solve the problem and accepting his/her decision. do. Gandhi signed, but Ambedkar did not.PostscriptAmbedkar initially expressed joy at the signing of the Poona Act because it significantly increased the number of seats reserved for the depressed class. However, according to Teltumbde, he/she soon realized the flaws in the agreement. he/she felt that the main issue was that joint constituencies meant that the election of Dalit representatives would be largely influenced by the votes of Hindus. This, in effect, allowed Hindu dominance to decide which Dalit candidates would be elected. Due to which the autonomy of Dalit representation will be weakened. Later in his/her life, Ambedkar began to consistently condemn the Poona Pact. In his/her articles, he/she described Gandhi's fast as 'dirty and disgusting' and described the agreement as a hidden act of coercion that forced Dalits to abandon constitutional safeguards. [ad_2]
