1

MPPSC

DAILY
CLASS NOTES
Polity

Lecture – 63
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar
 2

Issues of National Security and Integrity Part-2

❖ Birth: April 14, 1891, in Madhya Pradesh.

❖ Family:
❖ Fourteenth child of his parents.
❖ Father: Ramji Maloji Sakpal, Subedar in the Indian Army at Mhow cantonment.
❖ Mother: Bhimabai Sakpal.
❖ Caste and Discrimination:
❖ Belong to the Hindu Mahar caste, considered "untouchable" by higher classes.
❖ Endured extreme discrimination from society.
 3

Personal Life:

❖ Mother passed away when he was six years old.

❖ Married at age 15 to a 9-year-old girl, Ramabai.

Education

Early Education:

❖ Attended Elphinstone High School, completed his tenth year there.

Higher Education:

❖ Enrolled in Elphinstone College, affiliated with the University of Bombay.

❖ Graduated in 1912 with a degree in economics and political science from Bombay
University.

Advanced Studies:

❖ Applied for and completed a master’s in economics at Columbia University.

❖ Presented a thesis titled "Ancient Indian Commerce" for his master's degree.

❖ Accepted into and attended the London School of Economics.

Academic Achievements:

❖ Hired as a political science lecturer at Sydenham College of Commerce and

Economics.

❖ Completed his Ph.D. and was granted a doctorate by Columbia University.

❖ Received legal training at Gray's Inn, London.

Organizations:

Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (1924)

❖ Established to promote welfare and rights of Dalits.

❖ Aimed to end social inequality and advance social justice and education for
marginalized communities.

❖ Played a significant role in addressing societal injustices faced by Dalits.

Independent Labour Party of India (1936)

❖ Founded to address socio-economic problems of the working class.

❖ Goals included promoting social justice, economic equality, and labor rights.

❖ Focused on improving working conditions and advancing workers' interests.

 4

Scheduled Castes Federation (1942)

❖ Formed to advocate for the rights of Dalit people.

❖ An All India executive body that won the convention's election.

❖ Worked towards the political and social upliftment of Scheduled Castes.

People's Education Society (1945)

❖ Founded in Mumbai to establish a network of higher education institutions.

❖ Aimed to provide educational opportunities to disadvantaged groups.

❖ Contributed to the educational empowerment of marginalized communities.

Republican Party of India (1955)

❖ Established to represent and advocate for the rights of Dalits and other
marginalized groups.

❖ Focused on achieving social and political equality.

❖ Played a role in the political mobilization of Dalits.

Bhartiya Buddha Mahasabha (1955)

❖ National Buddhist organization founded in Mumbai.

❖ Aimed to revive Buddhism in India.

❖ Promoted the teachings of Buddhism and worked towards social reform and human
rights.

Literary Works and Books:

1. Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development (1916)

2. Mook Nayak (1920)

3. The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Solution (1923)

4. Bahishkrut Bharat (1927)

5. Janta (1930)

6. The Annihilation of Caste (1936)

7. Federation Versus Freedom (1939)

8. Thoughts on Pakistan (1940)

9. Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah (1943)

 5

10. Mr. Gandhi and Emancipation of Untouchables (1943)

11. What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables (1945)

12. Pakistan Or Partition Of India (1945)

13. State and Minorities (1947)

14. Who were the Shudras (1948)

15. Maharashtra as a Linguistic Province (1948)

16. The Untouchables (1948)

17. Rise and Fall of Hindu Women

18. Buddha Or Karl Marx (1956)

19. The Buddha and his Dhamma (1957)

20. Riddles in Hinduism

21. Manu and the Shudras

Ambedkar said ''I am no believer in democracy as an ideal to be pursued in all

circumstances and all times. In this country, we have a democracy but it is a democracy
that has ceased to exercise its intelligence. It has bound itself hand and foot to one
organization and only one. It is not prepared to sit in judgment over the doings or the
thinking of this organization. I consider it the greatest malaise. a disease and a sickness. It
has affected all our people. Democracy must learn that its safety lies in having more than
one opinion regarding the solution of a particular problem, and in order that people may
be ready to advise with their opinion, democracy must learn to give a respectful hearing
to all who are worth listening to. "

Political thoughts

Core Statements:

❖ Rights are protected by the social and moral conscience of society, not just by law.

❖ A democratic government presupposes a democratic society.

Concept of Democracy:

❖ Viewed democracy as a form of society or associated living.

❖ Believed social relationships are key to democracy.

❖ Emphasized that social conscience safeguards all rights.

 6

Social Democracy:

❖ Linked liberty, equality, and fraternity to social democracy.

❖ Stressed that political democracy must be based on social democracy.

❖ Defined democracy as a method of bringing revolutionary changes in economic and

social life without bloodshed.

Focus on Social Reformism:

❖ Central theme in his speeches and writings.

❖ Advocated that politics must be connected to social issues.

❖ Differed from Congress and socialists by giving primacy to social over political issues.

Social Thought

Critique of Hindu Social Order:

❖ Argued that the Hindu social order had religious sanction.

❖ Explained and criticized the Hindu Social Order in works like "Philosophy of
Hinduism," "Hindu Social Order: Its Essential Principles," and "Annihilation of Caste."

❖ Proposed normative ideas for a just society based on justice.

Class System and Varna:

❖ Existing social order based on Hindu Chaturvarna (four classes): Brahmins,

Kshatriya, Vaishyas, Shudras.

❖ Untouchables added as the fifth class (Panchama).

❖ Social order is divided into subclasses or sub-castes, leading to hundreds and

thousands of divisions.

Principles of Hindu Social Order:

Graded Inequality:

❖ Society divided hierarchically with Brahmins at the top.

❖ Principle had spiritual, moral, and legal sanction.

❖ Regulated all spheres of life: social, political, and economic.

❖ Quote: "The Hindus are the only people in the world whose social relations are
consecrated by religion and made sacred, eternal, and inviolate."
 7

Occupation-Based Varnas:

❖ Each class followed specific occupations with Divine sanction.

❖ Individuals had no choice in changing their occupation.

❖ Upward social and economic mobility is severely restricted.

Birth-Based Class Assignment:

❖ Class assigned by birth, not individual merit.

❖ Denial of equal access to education.

❖ Formal education was confined to religious scriptures; the state did not support
broader educational establishments.

❖ Illiteracy inherent in the caste system.

❖ Quote: "Manu is the only divine lawgiver who has denied the common man the right
to knowledge."

Impact on Society:

❖ Fixation of rights within a class and graded inequality denied education and
opportunities.

❖ Restricted mobility in all spheres of human life.

❖ Ambedkar viewed this as an unjust society needing attention and reform.

Proposed Reforms:

❖ Advocated for the total annihilation of caste-based society.

❖ Aimed to form an "ideal or just society" that would be classless or casteless.

Statements on the social issues:

❖ "Rights are protected not by law but by the social and moral conscience of society."

❖ "A democratic form of government presupposes a democratic form of society."

❖ "Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy."

❖ "Nowhere has society consecrated its occupations- the ways of getting a living
Economic activity has always remained outside the sanctity of religion. Feudalism
with its gradation. With its lords, villains, and serfs, was purely social in character.
There was nothing scared about it. The Hindus are only people in the world whose
social relations are consecrated by religion and made scared, eternal and inviolate "
 8

Constitution and Law Reform

Chairman of the Drafting Committee:

❖ Headed the committee responsible for drafting the Constitution of India.

❖ Played a pivotal role in framing the fundamental structure of the Constitution.

Constitutional Principles:

❖ Advocated for principles of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.

❖ Ensured inclusion of provisions for social justice and protection of rights for
marginalized communities.

Fundamental Rights:

❖ Instrumental in the inclusion of Fundamental Rights to protect individual freedoms

and rights against state actions.

❖ Focused on ensuring equality before the law and prohibition of discrimination.

Directive Principles of State Policy:

❖ Emphasized the inclusion of Directive Principles to guide the state in promoting

social and economic welfare.

❖ Stressed that these principles, though non-justiciable, are essential for governance
and societal development.

Abolition of Untouchability:

❖ Ensured the inclusion of Article 17 in the Constitution, which abolished

untouchability and forbade its practice in any form.

❖ Worked towards legally dismantling caste-based discrimination.

Representation and Reservations:

❖ Advocated for provisions to ensure political representation and reservations for

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in legislatures and public services.

❖ Aimed at creating opportunities for the socio-economic advancement of

marginalized communities.

Women’s Rights:

❖ Championed gender equality and worked towards securing equal rights for women.

❖ Advocated for laws ensuring women's right to property and employment.

 9

Labour Rights:

❖ Focused on improving the conditions of workers and advocated for fair labor
practices.

❖ Supported laws related to minimum wages, working hours, and conditions of

employment.

Law Reforms:

❖ Worked on the Hindu Code Bill to reform Hindu personal law and ensure gender
equality in matters of inheritance, marriage, and divorce.

❖ Though the bill faced significant opposition and was not passed during his tenure, it
laid the groundwork for future reforms.



PW Web/App: https://smart.link/7wwosivoicgd4