This attitude of the Hindus forms the tragic scene of Indian politics. Unfortunately this is not the only tragic scene with Indian Politics. There is another equally tragic in character. It concerns the friends of the Hindus in foreign countries. The Hindus have created many friends for themselves all over the world by their clever propaganda, particularly in America, “the land of liberty”. The tragedy is that these friends of the Hindus are supporting a side without examining whether it is the side which they in point of justice ought to support. No American friends of the Hindus have, so far as I know, asked what do the Hindus, stand for? Are they fighting for freedom or are they fighting for power? If the Hindus are fighting for power, are the American friends justified in helping the Hindus? If the Hindus are engaged in a war for freedom must they not be asked to declare their war aims? This is the least bit these American friends could do. Since the American friends have thought it fit to respond to the Hindu call for help it is necessary to tell these American friends of the Hindus what wrong they will be doing to the cause of freedom by their indiscriminate and blind support to the Hindu side. What I want to say follows the line of argument which the Hindus themselves have taken. Since the war started the Hindus both inside and outside the Congress demanded that the British should declare their war aims. Day in and day out the British were told “if you want our help tell us what you are fighting for? If you are fighting for freedom tell us if you will give us freedom in the name of which you are waging this war.” There was a stage when the Hindus were prepared to be satisfied with a promise from the British that Indians will have the benefit of freedom for which the British are waging. They have gone a stage further. They are no longer content with a promise. Or to put it in the language of a Congressman, “They refuse to accept a postdated cheque on a crashing Bank”. They wanted freedom to be given right now, before the Hindus would consent to give their voluntary support to the War effort. That is the significance of Mr. Gandhi’s new slogan of “Quit India”, Mr. Churchill on whom the responsibility of answering these questions fell replied, that his war aim was victory over the enemy. The Hindus were not satisfied. They questioned him further “What are you going to do after you get that victory? What social order you propose to establish after the war?” There was a storm when Mr. Churchill replied that he hoped to restore traditional Britain. These were legitimate questions | agree. But do not the friends of Hindus think that if it is legitimate to ask these questions to Mr. Churchill it is also legitimate to ask the very same questions to Mr. Gandhi and the Hindus? The British had declared war against Hitler. Mr. Gandhi has declared a war against the British. The British have an Empire. So have the Hindus. For is not Hinduism a form of Imperialism and are not the Untouchables a subject race, owing their allegiance and their servitude to their Hindu Masters? If Mr.Churchill must be asked to declare his war aims how could anybody avoid asking Mr. Gandhi and the Hindus to declare their war aims? Both say their war is a war for freedom. If that is so both have a duty to declare what their war aims are. What does Mr. Gandhi propose to do after he gets his victory over the British? Does he propose to use the freedom he hopes to get to make the Untouchables free or will he allow the freedom he gets to be used to endow the Hindus with more power than they now possess, to hold the Untouchables as their bondsmen? Will Mr. Gandhi and the Hindus establish a New Order or will they be content with rehabilitation of the traditional Hindu India, with its castes and its Untouchability, with its denial of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity? I should think that these questions should be asked by those American friends of Mr. Gandhi and the Hindus who are helping them in this so-called War for Freedom. These questions are legitimate and pertinent. Itis only answers to such questions which will enable these American friends to know whether Mr. Gandhi’s war is a war for freedom or a war for power. These questions are not merely pertinent and legitimate, they are also necessary. The reason is obvious to those who know the Hindus. The Hindus have an innate and inveterate conservatism and they have a religion which is incompatible with liberty, equality and fraternity i.e ., with democracy. Inequality, no doubt, exists everywhere in the world. It is due largely to conditions and circumstances. But it never has had the support of religion. With the Hindus it is different. There is not only inequality in Hindu Society but inequality is the official doctrine of the Hindu religion. The Hindu has no will to equality. His inclination and his attitude are opposed to democratic doctrine of one man one value. Every Hindu is a social Tory and Political Radical. Mr. Gandhi is no exception to this rule. He presents himself to the world as a liberal but his liberalism is only a very thin veneer which sits very lightly on him as dust does on one’s boots. You scratch him and you will find that underneath his liberalism he is a blue blooded Tory. He stands for the cursed caste. He is a fanatic Hindu upholding the Hindu religion. See how the Hindus read the famous American Declaration of Independence of 1776.
(Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings & Speeches, Volume IX, Rs.50 1991, Govt ., of Maharashtra, Bombay). The book may be had from Director, Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, Netaji Subhash Road, Bombay – 400 004.
