(5) It is the confirmed opinion of the working committee that this system of co-existence must be done away with.
(6) This, in the opinion of the working committee, can be done by establishing separate villages exclusively of Untouchables who are now living scattered in small groups under the sovereignty of caste Hindus.
(7) The working committee, therefore, urges upon the Planning Commission to reserve all cultivable wasteland to make barren land cultivable and let colonies of Untouchables settled on such land.
(8) The working committee is of the opinion that to raise the necessary finance that salt tax be re-levied. Move from the chair, Dr. Babasaheb explained that he was thoroughly convinced in his mind that so long the Scheduled Castes live with the caste Hindus our people will not live the life of freedom and liberty, free from oppression of the caste Hindus. The Madras Govt. wanted to build new cherries for the Scheduled Castes but he was strongly opposed to this idea. He did not want that Untouchability should be made permanent by building new cherries. He wanted them to be burnt.
This resolution was carried unanimously.
Resolution No.8 (1) The working committee of the federation is sorry for the deaths that have taken place in the Goa Satyagraha. The committee, is, however, of the opinion that satyagraha is not proper means of achieving the liberation of Goa.
(2) As understood by the committee in Satyagraha, Satya is common ground to both. The difference is only on Agraha. In such a situation Satyagraha of the Gandhian type is possible and may be tried. But where there is no agreement of Satya, Satyagraha of the Gandhian type is a futility. The working committee cannot, therefore, advise the Scheduled Castes to join the Goa Satyagraha.
(3) Working committee of the federation is of the opinion that Goa must become a part of India and that the Portuguese must quit. There are three ways of achieving this object. (1) purchase, (2) lease, or (3) war. If Government is not prepared to accept any one of these three ways it is the duty of the Govt. to tell the people what other weapon it has.
Dr. Babasaheb explained that the satyagraha can be between two parties who agree on the “Truth”. The only difference between the parties is on agraha. The British people could give freedom to India because both the British people and the Indians had agreed that the Indians have the right of self-government. In fact this principle of self government was enunciated by Macaulay as far back as 1933. Macaulay said that the Indians were not barbarians. The Indians have a distinct civilization and culture of their own. They, therefore, should be given the right to govern themselves. But in the case of Goa the Portuguese Government did not agree on the question of freedom of Goa, Satyagrahe, therefore, as a weapon of liberating Goa is not only useless but dangerous. I cannot allow our people to be exposed to bullets and massacre. If we are given guns, we will fight. We, therefore, want to pass the above resolution.
The resolution was carried unanimously.
Resolution No.9-“This meeting of the working committee is not satisfied with the foreign policy of the country. It is neither calculated to strengthen the parliamentary system of Government nor the defence of the country”.
After this resolution was carried, the president announced that he has appointed Shri Rajabhau Khobragade as the general secretary of the All India Scheduled Castes Federation.
Resolution No.10- Resolution congratulating Shri Khobragade was passed.
The chairman was thanked for guiding the deliberations of the working committee.
All members of the working committee were also thanked.
This working committee of the Scheduled Castes Federation further resolved that the president be empowered to draft a resolution on linguistic provinces embodying the following points:-
(1) The states be so divided as to maintain a unity of the country. (2) The administrative languages should be English and Hindi (3) Bombay should belong to the United Maharashtra (4) Hyderabad city should be a second capital of India making it a Governor’s province. (5) Hyderabad state be divided into different linguistic units. (contd..)
