Gandhi and Ambedkar

Gandhi and Ambedkar were the two towering personalities during the freedom struggle.The former was the torch-bearer for the Indian masses,irrespective of religion, caste and creed while the later was an embodiment of emancipation of depressed classes. Gandhi was a barrister educated at London while Ambedkar studied at Columbia university and London School of Economics(LSE).

Yet,both had certain differences in their ideologies. Ambedkar favoured separate electorates for the depressed classes as a means of political freedom.Ambedkar.however, had to relent when Gandhi went on a fast-unto-death in opposition.Gandhi felt that the untouchables were an integral part of Hindu fold and that providing them separate electorates would delay their integration into the mainstream society.He instead was a votary of quota for untouchable legislators within a larger category of all Hindus.

Another difference was that of the economic policy that India should adopt after independence.Gandhi wanted India to go for a village-centred decentralized model of development. That said,the resources should be produced locally and consumed locally and that self-sufficient villages were to be the centres of economic growth.In contrast,Ambedkar supported heavy industrialization as the corner-stone of India’s economic development.

Despite these near-irreconciable ideological differences,Gandhi was fond of Ambedkar for his intellect and political astuteness. It is speculated that on the insistence of Gandhi, the Congress party inducted Ambedkar as the country’s first law minister.