Calling B.R. Ambedkar a “Dalit” is deceptive and people should stop attributing the term to the great visionary who gave India its Constitution, said B.P. Maheshchandraguru, a professor at the Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Mysore, on Thursday.
Delivering a special lecture to mark the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr. Ambedkar here, he took exception to the usage of the term to describe a community that has given the country many great minds.
“Those who are still described as Dalits and backward classes have, over the years, grown competitive and their presence can be seen in every field, be it socio-economic or cultural. Dr. Ambedkar was a Dalit, but he was chosen to draft the Indian Constitution on the basis of his intellect and wisdom, not on the back of any sort of reservation,” he said. Therefore, people should stop calling Dalits as backward because intellectually, they are second to none, Prof. Maheshchandragaru said.
He also credited Dr. Ambedkar’s enduring achievement — the Constitution — with holding India together even it times of socio-economic conflict and struggle.
He added that the reservation system had enabled many from exploited classes to come up in society, including in the field of politics. “That Siddaramaiah, who belongs to Kuruba (community), managed become Chief Minister, that a chaiwala (Narendra Modi) is our Prime Minister, it is all because of the reservation criteria facilitated in the Constitution,” he said.
Small Scale Industries and district in-charge Minister Satish L. Jarkiholi, addressing the gathering, called upon Dalits to use various government programmes and schemes to improve their socio-economic conditions. S.N. Hullannavar, a professor of political science at Karnataka Arts College, Dharwad, spoke on Dr. Ambedkar’s life and times.
