President of India

-Seasoned and Mature Personality- 

Ram Nath Kovind, 71, was the NDA's presidential candidate who won with over 7 lakh votes against opposition candidate Meira Kumar and has taken over as 14^th President of India.

 He has served as the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Wing and served for two full terms in Rajya Sabha from 1994-2000 and 2000-2006. He also served as national spokesperson of the BJP. Mr. Kovind has addressed the United Nations as India’s representative in 2002.After his tenure in the Rajya Sabha, he was sworn-in as the 36^th Governor of Bihar in August 2015. Kovind practiced at both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court for 16 years.

He was born on October 1, 1945 in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur Rural district. He came from a modest background and worked his way from the ground to the top of the political pyramid. He attained his B. Com and LLB degrees from Kanpur University and had a successful career as a practicing lawyer. He served as the Central Government’s advocate in Delhi High Court between 1977 and 1979. He was also standing counsel in Supreme Court between 1980 and 1993. He was made Advocate-on-Record at the apex court in 1978 and continued his legal practice at the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court till 1993.

As a parliamentarian, he held key positions in parliamentary committees during his 12-year stint as a lawmaker. Besides serving as the Chairman of Rajya Sabha House Committee, he was member of Parliamentary Committees on Welfare of Scheduled Castes/Tribes; Home Affairs; Petroleum and Natural Gas; Social Justice and Empowerment; Law and Justice.

He has several academic associations as well. He is on the management board of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Lucknow. He is a member of Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.

At the time of his nomination as a presidential candidate by the ruling combination, intense hue and cry was raised of him being a Dalit and therefore, a sort of  frenzy suddenly erupted as if a great favor has been done to the Dalit communities by a such nomination. His political, social and intellectual work was put aside and his dalit identity was projected on a mammoth screen by the media of this country. The situation so developed that the opposition was also compelled to field another Dalit Meera Kumar, a former Speaker of House of of people of the Indian Parliament as an opposition Presidential candidate.

If we analyze the qualification and political experience of Shri Ram Nath Kovind, we will find that it is far superior to a number of persons who prior to him have held the high office of the President of India. Therefore, trying to highlight only the dalit identity and ignoring his qualification, works in social and political field and loyalties to the party to which he belongs is gross injustice to his personality and the apex office of this country. It may be correct to state that holding such high office may not bring any amelioration as such in the conditions of dalits, however, occupying high position of President of Indian Republic has a positive and inspirational value for coming generation of people. Such happenings and decisions in a democratic republican system kindle hope and aspiration in the minds of younger generations of people.

 Article 52 to 62 of the Constitution of India deals with power and functions of the President. The President is elected through an indirect election by an electoral college. As per the Constitutional scheme, the President of India is a titular or ceremonial head. The executive power of the Union are vested in the President and shall be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with this Constitution.

Why the political parties in India which are under the control of upper castes blow out of proportion when they make a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe a candidate for such high office? In its background lies a long history. In the electoral process in India for the Lower House of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and State Legislatures, there is a provision of reservations of seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Despite this provision, competent and powerful leadership amongst these communities have failed to emerge who can take the cause of their people with firm conviction on the floor of the house and play a vital role in the formation of state policy in their favour. The main reasons for not been able to do so is the lack of representation of competent leaders in the caucus of political parties. The caucus of almost all political parties is controlled by the upper caste elite. In a democracy, election are fought by the political parties and while selecting a candidate, caste configuration play a vital role. There is no intra-party democracy in form of party election in the political parties nor party tickets are allocated to a candidate to fight election based on his popularity in the constituency. It is sweet will of the party caucus and many a times its top leadership to assign a candidate for a constituency. This ailment has spread to almost all political parties in India and is responsible for namesake democracy.  

While commenting on non-election of competent Scheduled Caste candidates in the legislature Babasahib Dr. B.R. Ambedkar says in June 1945 in his book What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables and Mr. Gandhi and Emancipation of Untouchables, “…...The fact is that the Congress High Command in selecting a candidate had a definite policy namely in the case of Brahmins, to give preference to a candidate who had the highest educational qualifications and in the case of the Non-Brahmins and the Scheduled Castes, to give preference to a candidate who had the lowest educational qualification. Let those who have any doubts in the matter consider the facts summarized in Table 22 (see page 224.)

It is obvious that in the case of the Brahmins the relative proportion of graduates to non-graduates is far higher than what it is in the case of the Non-Brahmins and the Scheduled Castes. The difference in terms of graduates and non-graduates does not really reveal the correct situation. To put it correctly, the Brahmin graduates were seasoned politicians of high repute while the Non-Brahmin graduates were raw graduates with the career of second class politicians to recommend them.

Why did the Congress select the best educated Brahmins as its candidates for election? Why did the Congress select the least educated Non-Brahmins and Scheduled Castes as its candidates for election? To this question I can see only one answer. It was to prevent the Non-Brahmins in the Congress from forming a ministry. The Congress seems to have deliberately preferred an uneducated Non-Brahmin to an educated one because from the point of view of the governing class, the uneducated Non-Brahmin has two definite advantages over an educated non-Brahmin. In the first place, he is likely to be more grateful to the Congress High Command for having got him elected than an educated Non-Brahmin is likely to be, and would not be ready to revolt against the Congress Ministry, formed by the governing classes, by joining hands with the educated Non-Brahmins in the Congress Party should the latter aspire to form a government of their own against the government of the governing classes. In the second place, if more undergraduates or more raw Non-Brahmin graduates were selected, it was with the purpose to prevent the Non-Brahmins in the Congress from forming a competent and alternative Ministry to the detriment of the governing class. The Non-Brahmins in the Congress do not know how the Congress has deceived them, and how in drawing them inside the Congress, the Congress was making a concealed attempt to permanently entrench the governing classes in places of power and authority.”[i]

This argument holds good for election of a public office from a Panch to the President in this country. Sadly, the depressed classes are not willing to wage a struggle for social, spiritual and cultural regeneration of its own social groups and Indian society as a whole. The division in their rank and file is a major stumbling block. Everyone is hankering after political power, attainment of which is difficult without regeneration of society on the canons of liberty, equality, fraternity and justice. These expressions are not hollow words but the moral and ethical foundations of any democratic society.

Thucydides while addressing his opponents once said, “It may be in your interest to be our masters, where it is in our interest to be your slave.” Mental slavery is the bedrock of all slavery. Any society has to tide over it but before that individual himself cross such a bridge.  

I wish and hope that new President of India would positively contribute towards establishing more human and inclusive society on the cherished dreams of making Bharat a Prabudha Bharat – a knowledge empowered society.

We are proud of our new  President of India and his glorious feat.

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1. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches, Volume 9, page 222.

Depiction of Great Revolutionary Heritage

-New Maharashtra Sadan, New Delhi-

During his visit to India, Shri Prem Chumber, editor of popular weekly Punjabi newspaper ‘Desh Doaba’ published from Sacramento, California, USA, requested me to accompany him to a meeting with some social activists’ friends in New Maharashtra Sadan on K.G. Marg near India Gate, New Delhi. The engrossing discussion centered on various issues and subjects closely connected to taking the Mulnivasi Bahujan movement forward in the time of confusion and stress and went beyond the stipulated time.

Every state of the Indian union has a Sadan in the national capital. These Sadans have been set up under the scheme of subsidiary alliances devised by the Britisher between 1798-1805 after the battle of Plassey. Thereafter, it has undergone changes. Most of the princely states in the erstwhile Bombay province were from presently area under Gujarat state, hence, on formation of Gujarat and Maharashtra as separate states, state of Maharashtra established its first state level office in Delhi under name Maharashtra Sadan. The majestic and grand building of New Maharashtra Sadan was inaugurated by the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the Hon'ble President of India on 4^th June, 2013.

In the foreground of this splendid building stands three different statues of three great men who have played vital role in laying the foundation of making India a society based on the principles of liberty, equality, fraternity and justice. These revered names are Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Rashtrapita Jyotirao Phuley and Babasahib Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. It is a great cultural symbol and a token of gratitude to the cultural ethos of Mulnivasi Bahujan reformers who are prominent makers of modern India. It appears that this initiative was clinched after considerably hard and dedicated efforts of many Phuley-Ambedkarite leaders and activists. There is a separate story of great struggle of Ambedkarites, to which many opposing groups were to succumb, and accept the demand of installation of statute of Babasaheb in the front lawn area. It seems that discussion, arguments, counter arguments on installation of statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's went on for months. It also appears that the position on the installation of statue of Babasaheb further worsened because of the argument of age of Chhatrapati Shahu ji Maharaja and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar as advanced by some mischievous elements. It was argued that Chhatrapati Shahu ji Maharaja was elder in age to Babasaheb Ambedkar and, hence, Dr. Ambedkar's statues should be installed inside the building i.e. in the concourse of the building and not at the forefront. 

Some enlightened Bahujan leaders aptly analyzing the whole position factoring in prodigious and momentous contribution of Dr. Ambedkar in moving forward the struggle of depressed and backward classes and also framing the Constitution of India and he being from Maharashtra, decided to install his statue at the forefront of the New Maharashtra Sadan as is done in the precinct of the Parliament. In the inside lobby stands a statue of Rajrishi Chhattrapati Sahu ji Maharaj.

This is how you see the four standing statues of great revolutionary at the New Maharashtra Sadan with Dr. Ambedkar's statue at the forefront. All four of them fought virulently against the domination of upper castes against the Sudras and untouchables.

 Who can forget the humiliation Chhattrapati Shivaji has to face, even when he was king, at the hands of Brahmins when they refused to perform his coronation ceremony on the pretext of being a Sudra and showed utmost disdain and disrespect to Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

While inside the building, the editor saw the statue of Rajrishi Chhattrapati Sahu Maharaj of Kolhapur - a social reformer of utmost zeal and a benefactor of Bahujans, who carried out a large number of socio-cultural and religious reform in his state and under the principle of representation provided reservation to untouchables in 1902.

Rashtrapita Jyotirao Phuley in his book ‘Slavery’, highlights the conspiracies woven by the Brahmins through religious scriptures against Sudras and untouchables and says that they abrogated the right of education of Sudras and untouchables as a result of which these groups remained illiterate for thousands of years. 

The lack of education lead to absence of intellect and knowledge, the lack of intellect and knowledge led to lack capabilities to articulate strategy of their own welfare and development, lack of strategy led to lack of development, lack of development led to evaporation of wealth, business, trade and commerce, without wealth Sudras and untouchable fell into the prey and collapsed. All this horrible situation prevailed due to lack of education amongst Sudras and untouchables. Therefore, the core of Phuley’s efforts was on bringing education to Sudras, untouchables and women and for this sole purpose he set a chain of 18 schools in the middle of 19^th century in area around Pune in Maharashtra and made his wife Mata Savitri Bai Phuley as Headmistress. In modern Indian, she is the first lady teacher. This is the first initiative to impart education to women, Sudras and untouchables. Not only education but maternity homes and child care homes for women.

Babasahib Ambedkar in his book Annihilation of Caste[1] has said, ““……The Brahmins form the vanguard of the movement for political reform and in some cases also of economic reform. But they are not to be found even as camp-followers in the army raised to break down the barricades of Caste. Is there any hope of the Brahmins ever taking up a lead in the future in this matter? I say no. You may ask why? You may argue that there is no reason why Brahmins should continue to shun social reform. You may argue that the Brahmins know that the bane of Hindu Society is Caste and as an enlightened class could not be expected to be indifferent to its consequences. You may argue that there are secular Brahmins and priestly Brahmins and if the latter do not take up the cudgels on behalf of those who want to break Caste, the former will. All this of course sounds very plausible. But in all this it is forgotten that the break up of the Caste system is bound to affect adversely the Brahmin Caste. Having regard to this, is it reasonable to expect that the Brahmins will ever consent to lead a movement the ultimate result of which is to destroy the power and prestige of the Brahmin Caste? Is it reasonable to expect the secular Brahmins to take part in a movement directed against the priestly Brahmins? In my judgment, it is useless to make a distinction between the secular Brahmins and priestly Brahmins. Both are kith and kin. They are two arms of the same body and one bound to fight for the existence of the other.”

Therefore, he cautioned us by saying that they are not bound to participate in any movement of social reform as such movement would demolish their hegemony in the social-religious affairs of Hindus. Hence, the Bahujan themselves have to create and lead any such movement for their betterment.

Homer, the ancient Greek author of the Iliad and the Odyssey says, “The date that reduces a man to slavery takes away from him the half of his virtue.”

Most of Catholic Christians may not like to hear the name Voltaire but he was revered as front runner of French revolution. He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties, despite the risk this placed him in under the strict censorship laws of the time. As a satirical and polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma, and the French institutions of his day. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and more than 2,000 books and pamphlets. Because of his well-known criticism of the Church, which he had refused to retract before his death, Voltaire was denied a Christian burial in Paris. On 11 July 1791, when the National Assembly of France decided to bring back his mortal remains to Paris, a million-people attended the procession stretching throughout Paris.

The chains of mental slavery are worse that the physical slavery as it kills the aspiration and passion amongst the slaves to strive for freedom. Such is the thralldom of long spell slavery on Sudras and erstwhile untouchables that they have been reduced to live a life worse than animals. The life struggle and knowledge created by Rashtrapita Jyotirao Phuley, Rajrishi Sahu ji Maharaj and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar - a symbol of knowledge and global icon, are mine fields of gold which have potential to make Bahujans powerful and vibrant the moment they explore it.

Such is the power of true intellect that when it is dedicated honestly in the service of hapless humanity, the greatness touches the feet of such great men and women and make them icons for thousands of years before coming generation of people. Wish good sense prevail upon and we also move towards making this great nation as knowledge society where knowledge and not the caste is pre-dominant factor.  

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[1] BAWS Vol.1, Page 70, line 2 to 21