DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AMBEDKAR AND GANDHI ON CASTE

 

Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar were two great socio-political reformers of their times. They were intellectual elite of their respective times. Being from an upper caste, Gandhi left every privilege that life afforded and got down to even do jobs like cleaning dirt to symbolize that he was the same as the members on untouchable community. On the other hand, Dr Ambedkar chose to acquire academic brilliance and even a sense of fashion, to symbolize that he, by birth an untouchable was no different than the members on the so-called higher castes. Both had opposite approaches to the same mean. Before study their ideological differences, we should take a glance on similarities of both.

 

SIMILARITIES

·        Both Dr Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi agreed that caste-based discrimination and the custom of untouchability in India was unjust. It should be abolished.

·        Both created organizations to fight this social scourge of untouchability at the ground level and wrote extensively to educate the regular people of India against this evil.

·        Both were very intelligent politicians, who claimed to represent the interest of the poor especially those belonging to the lower castes of India.

·        Both tried to challenge the existing system, Gandhi did it on social and moral front and Ambedkar did it on political front.

All these similarities hide many dissimilarities in their ideologies. They both have similar goal but their method or ideology to reach there was very different from each other. Now we give some points in which their ideology was different.

Ambedkar vs Gandhi

DISSIMILARITIES

·        In similarities we point out that both Dr Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi agreed on the abolition of caste-based discrimination and mostly untouchability but according to Dr Ambedkar the practice of untouchability was a product of the caste system and this system should be abolished totally whereas Gandhi’s thought was different. He said that there is no connection between untouchability and caste system. He actually defended caste system on several ground. According to him discrimination should be abolished not caste. Lower caste should have same respect like Brahmin. He considers caste system very important for overall growth because in this system new generation will be not confuse to decide their career or goal. But Dr Ambedkar was not agreed with Mahatma Gandhi. He wants to total abolishment of caste system to destroy the discrimination.

·        The major point of ideological difference between them during second Round Table Conference of 1930-32. While Gandhi was agreed with separate electorates for Muslims in India but he wasn’t agreed with the demand of separate electorates for untouchables and members of the lower castes which supported by Dr Ambedkar. Gandhi thought that it would divide the Hindu society. Thus, when British Prime Minister Ramsay McDonald announced the Communal Award on 16^th August 1932, giving separate reserved electorates to members of lower caste and untouchables, Gandhi decided to protest by going on fast unto death. When Gandhi’s condition become worse, Dr Ambedkar negotiate with him and signed the famous Poona Pact between them and allowing for single electorate for Hindus, with the so-called untouchables having seats reserved within it.

·        While Gandhi thought Ambedkar was trying to bring change too soon and thus might fail. Ambedkar believed that Gandhi was too slow to adopt and accept the change, thereby becoming meaningless.  

·        Mahatma Gandhi gave more importance to gaining independence from British over discrimination and untouchability.  On the other hand, Dr Ambedkar believed that any independence with the status quo on untouchability would not be independence at all.  

·        Ambedkar argues that those untouchables who were responsible for constructing and protecting the Hindu temple have right to enter the temple. Gandhi, on the other hand, asserts that it is the moral duty of the high caste Hindus to allow the untouchables to enter the Hindu temples.

·        Gandhi preferred decentralization of power and self-sufficient villages to give equal voice to all, whereas Ambedkar called villages as a den of superstition and feared that empowering villages would result in the domination of upper caste. He preferred a top-down approach with a strong center.

·        Gandhi was a anarchist who favored non-violent protest while being suspicious of the state. On the other Ambedkar was a constitutionalist, who worked within the state and sought solutions to social problems with the aid of the state.

 CONCLUSION

Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar have many differences with each other but it doesn’t mean that they hate each other. They give respect to each other’s ideology and came to an end in middle way for solution. The Mahatma Gandhi may be the Father of the Nation, but B R Ambedkar is possible the architect of a new India.