The riddle of Ambedkar and Reservation

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People wonder why sangha didn't invest in producing good social commentators who're good at their craft and relatively honest even if not fully. Requires money to be invested but not multi millions of dollars, and even that capital isn't out of reach for many years now. Even if one says ambedkar was already established here, the counter argument is going to be that you being the hindu side, should've tried to replace him with hindu icons from those communities (Like Sant Ravidas for example). 

There is difference between sant ravidas (and other Hindu dalit icons) and Ambedkar. 

Ambedkar is a modern man with modern solutions fit for current day Westphalian nation-state model. Older Hindu Dalits saints (even MH has many of those jīvanamukta beings with dalit bodies) are ok for Bhakti and adhyātma. But they don’t have a policy suggestions which can be implemented in this Westphalian nation-state system of governance that is enforced on us by the British post 1857. If we had reverted to varNāshrama dharma in 1947, it would have been possible. But this was preempted by Ambedkar in 1920s. 

Reservations are pact or a contract between four-varNa Hindus and the untouchables that the latter’s interests will be accommodated within Hindu society without them asking for separate country. They actually asked for it in 1920s (started with separate electorate - would have moved to separate country - just like Muslim league). 

Now one may argue that SCs in cow belt were untouched by this and I will agree. But SCs in MH, Punjab, WB were not untouched (and that is from where most of the freedom struggle was fought - especially Bengal and Maharashtra). The thoughts of Jogendranath Mandal were even worse.

There was enormous state patronage from the British for this separate dalit electorate demand just like Muslims. If fact I respect Gandhi for this one act alone. He literally blackmailed Ambedkar into submission by his genuine fast unto almost death (which would led to huge anti-SC riots all over country (again - mostly in MH, WB and Punjab) and society would have splintered irrevocably. Poona-Pact is where this second partition of India was nipped in the bud. Tilak tried to nip first partition in bud in Lucknow-Pact earlier but it failed (due to nature of Islam - but that is separate topic).

In form of reservations, we all are paying for that Poona pact between Gandhi and Ambedkar. Now there is no exit clause from here. One can get out of this contract only by keeping dharma alive in minds, lives and conscious of as large a chunk of Dalits as possible and then using that dharma to gradually wean off that chunk of Dalits away from these subversive tendencies. These Dalits will leave this on their own (or will be integrated enough that when we remove it, there won’t be much fuss).

People diss Phule. But remember where and when Phule was cultivated and why (In Pune, born 9 years after 1818 and active around 1840-1880 : his peak was around 1857). There is no one single pro Hindu mass leader born in this time (Tilak born in 1856 and got active late in 1887-90). So from 1818 to 1890s British had virtually free run from 1818 to 1890 to subvert entire societies at will. Phule happened at that time. And they had special “love” for Marathas (because they knew they had actually won india from them and not from Mughals). They were really good at taking the best from among Hindus and twisting them in their minds to make them act against Hindu interests (look at Sikhs post 1850). I am glad Maharashtrian society resisted that poison that was so successfully injected in Punjab and Tamil Nadu

The “Hindu” and “modern” answer for this riddle (or Dalits and reservations etc) was Savarkar. But we all know what was his status in sociopolitical discourse until recently (Godse by his foolish act made sure Savarkar was relegated to corner). By 2014, Phule-Ambedkar-Shahu were already made ubiquitous all across India - especially after 1980s. And Savarkar will always remain an “outsider” to Dalits until they integrate fully into Hindu consciousness like other jātis (which they are - many never left). 

What is the way forward? 

Hindus (especially savarNa) need to understand that Ambedkar has become PBUH for Dalits all over India. And this was not done by Sangh (or Maharashtrian Brahmins 😁). The ékātmatā stotra etc names many names. There are many dalit Bastis where we emphasise on Lahuji Vastad, Ravidas, Vālmiki, Vyasa, Chokha-Mela etc as being “also dalit icons” and gradually it is resonating (except within the largest SC beneficiary caste of the region who is most vested in maintaining the mythology strictly around Ambedkar - they are the ones within SCs who have benefited from the reservation the most at the expense of other SCs who are even today staunchly Hindu.) But a very well calibrated, researched and evidence backed narrative (pushed by far stronger forces than us for far too long) is such that atrocities were done and Ambedkar rescued them. So even those within SCs who are staunchly Hindu genuinely believe that Ambedkar gave them opportunities (which I cannot say I disagree given the views of people like Karpātri Maharaj who was active until very 80s which “may” have been widespread within savarNa Hindus of north). 

Add to this demographic reality. Thankfully the caste census will solve this question once and for all. We will soon have real data and everyone (GC-Hindus, Muslims, OBCs and SC-STs) will understand their numerical strength so that policies can be recalibrated as per this new numerical reality.

The only way out of reservation and associated narrative is for India to grow rich and expand. Make many good medical and engineering colleges so that there are enough seats so that decent GC kids to get admission and not just super brilliant ones. Having been associated with IIT, I know how the kids from reservation category struggle in completing the BTech courses which they got in at lesser JEE cutoff. Many dropout and do not/cannot complete the course which is very demanding. Same for medical. So I am not worrying about bad engineers and doctors passing out (those who make it to degree are decently equipped). We just need lot more seats where GC kids don’t have to sweat so much in spite of reservations. Economy is growing and in life and society which is relatively free. the talent shines and coal does not. This is my experience so far. There will never be reservations in Private sector in India. That is where money and growth is.

Long term - as said above. Gradually convince SCs that they don’t need reservations and asking them to give it up in addition to empowering private sector. This is multigenerational project which Sangh is doing at its pace and as per its intellect.