... and Points to Ponder (PTP)

1. On the 26th of January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril. We must remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment or else those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which this Assembly has so laboriously built up.

PTP - Undeniable truth and most desirable objective.

2. ‘’We are having this liberty in order to reform our social system, which is full of inequality, discrimination and other things, which conflict with our fundamental rights.’’

PTP - Yes. But methods of reform have to be conciliatory rather than confrontationist to bring social harmony.

3. The sovereignty of scriptures of all religions must come to an end if we want to have a united integrated modern India.

PTP- Absolutely true because sovereignty of scriptures is often regressive. Scriptures need to be rationalized.

4. Caste is not a physical object like a wall of bricks or a line of barbed wire which prevents the Hindus from co-mingling and which has, therefore, to be pulled down. Caste is a notion; it is a state of the mind……..

PTP - This state of mind is being vitiated more and more by issue of caste certificates by the government and by granting special privileges to even non-deserving persons on caste basis.

5. That the caste system must be abolished if the Hindu society is to be reconstructed on the basis of equality, goes without saying. Untouchability has its roots in the caste system………..

PTP - Absolutely true, but can it happen? And will it not perpetuate till eternity if the Constitution and the Laws themselves will discriminate on caste-basis? Even those who have converted to Buddism or Sikhism are adhering to caste because they get special privileges on caste-basis. They remain mentally biased in favor of their earlier caste fellows.

6. “Fusion of blood can alone create the feeling of being kith and kin, and unless this feeling of kinship, of being kindred, becomes paramount, the separatist feeling - the feeling of being aliens - created by Caste will not vanish”.

PTP - A very rational idea which can be implemented at least in government services by providing that reservations should be limited to those who have married or agree to marry in a group different from their own. SCs/STs may be required to marry in different caste only- even in their own group. The appointment letter should be issued only after marriage is solemnised.

7. I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.

PTP - Should there be caste quota within women quota in this scheme as demanded by OBC/SC dominated political groups?

8. Religion must mainly be a matter of principles only. It cannot be a matter of rules. The moment it degenerates into rules, it ceases to be a religion, as it kills responsibility which is an essence of the true religious act. In the Hindu religion, one can[not] have freedom of speech. A Hindu must surrender his freedom of speech. He must act according to the Vedas. If the Vedas do not support the actions, instructions must be sought from the Smritis, and if the Smritis fail to provide any such instructions, he must follow in the footsteps of the great men. He is not supposed to reason. Hence, so long as you are in the Hindu religion, you cannot expect to have freedom of thought…….

PTP - Incorrect and baseless. All religions being a matter of faith do prohibit free thinking to some degree, but unlike Islam, Christianity, etc. Hindu religion allows reformation and rethinking and that is why it has been constantly evolving and leaving unacceptable practices. It has accepted abolition of Sati Pratha, Untouchability, Bahu-Vivah, etc.. It has not been able to do away with casteism and one reason for that is the constitutional provision of granting privileges on basis of caste which forces the government to issue caste certificates and discriminate on caste basis at every step of life.

9. Constitution is not a mere lawyers document, it is a vehicle of Life, and its spirit is always the spirit of Age. If I find the constitution being misused, I shall be the first to burn it……..

PTP - Instead of burning the Constitution, self appointed Baba Sahib’s adherents are burning vehicles and killing people for the sake of continuing misuse of draconian laws against non-S.Cs. And similar was the reaction of Muslims in Shah Bano case.