Kuldip Chand Dobhetta The Poona Pact signed in Yerawada Central Jail of Poona, Maharashtra, on 24th September 1932 was a landmark event in Indian history. It was signed by Dr. B R Ambedkar on behalf of the depressed classes and by Madan Mohan Malviya on behalf of Hindus and leader of Congress, Gandhi. The background …
End Political Reservation
Dr Jas Simran Kehal It is said that if we can learn from our mistakes and not let them rob us of our boldness or hope, then we can grow. It was perhaps this boldness which emboldened Dr B R Ambedkar to vigorously pursue the cause of real political representation of the depressed classes after …
Marxists Without Marx
Rahul Sonpimple “The emancipation of the working classes must be conquered by the working classes themselves” Marx wrote in 1864 as the first principle of the self-emancipation of the proletariat. He was convinced, however, Indian upper caste Marxists are still not. When Ambedkar pushed for the Poona Pact in 1932, demanding separate electorates for …
The Long Exit: Conferences of the Depressed Classes During the 1930s
Gerard Baared [The long exit from Hinduism/Brahmanism for the ‘untouchables’ is naturally an ongoing movement, given the scale of the task, the multiple levels of responsibilities to understand, process and communicate people’s aspirations regarding their rights, and the complex logistic factors to be dealt with. The term exit predicates an imagined or real inclusion, …
On Political Reservations for the Scheduled Castes: Reserved but Unequal?
Hugo Gorringe & Suryakant Waghmore In a recent interview with The Hindu1, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar suggested the abolition of political reservation for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) “as the people have started voting for Dalit candidates in elections without any bias”‘ (The Hindu, 9 Oct 2014). In this, and other aspects of the …
‘It’s no alliance’
Zafar Agha Uttar Pradesh is the cradle of Brahminism: Kanshi Ram BSP supremo Kanshi Ram spoke to Special Correspondent Zafar Agha from his Escorts Heart Institute bed in Delhi. Excerpts: Q. When did your relations with Mulayam Singh Yadav reach a turning point?A. The panchayat elections were the turning point. There was rigging, booth-capturing, …
Gandhi and Congress are responsible for the political culture in India today
Ravindra Pankaj I have been thinking about the following questions since a long time regarding our polity: why do our political representatives not represent us properly? Why do they not listen to us? Why do they not even bother to talk to us? Why can we not go to them and tell them what are …
Dr Ambedkar Remembers the Poona Pact in an Interview on the BBC
Transcribed by: Prakash Holayar, Chamarajanagar Dr Ambedkar was extensively interviewed by the BBC radio in New Delhi in 1955 on a range of topics including his memories of Gandhi, Round Table Conferences, Poona Pact and how political independence was obtained. A portion of the interview related to the famous Poona Pact, transcribed (as faithfully as …
80 years of Poona Pact
[Via Maheshwar Raj] All India Confederation of SC / ST Organizations Headed by Dr. Udit Raj, National Chairman and K. Maheshwar Raj, A.P., State President Invites One and All to the Brain Storming Session On 24.09.2012 @ 05 : 00 P.M @ Press Club, Basheerbagh, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.