Part 6: Revolution and counter revolution in modern India

Waman Meshram, National President, Bharat Mukti Morcha

Tilak - the opponent of reservation

After this influence and effects of Jyotibha Phule’s revolutionary movement is seen in the entire Maharastra on the movements of non-brahmin people. In order to counter it through the medium of Bal Gangadhar Tilak Ganesh festival and Shivaji festival gets started. This is so because those whom we call Shudras -  Ati-Shudras are festival loving people.

Awakening based on ideology that was going on, in order to counter it Bal Gangadhar Tilak started Ganesh festival and Shivaji festival. Brahmins of that time used to say that Tilak started this festival as ‘national festival’ and even today Brahmin historian hold on to the same view. These views belong to those people who want to keep their jati interest safe, it is their views. In is necessary for us to understand those views.

After that Shivaj festival stopped and only Ganesh festival continued. What is surprising is that Shivaji Maharaja’s memorial was searched before everyone else and cleared of all the thick shrubs by Jyotibha Phule. Brahmins only take the name of Shivaj against Muslims. They are using history as an asset, and when history of insults and humiliation of Shivaji and his mother was written then these very people who used the name of Shivaji Maharaj and history against Muslims were silenced.

They have nothing to do with Shivaji Maharaj and his mother’s defamations. Why they have nothing to do here? It is because they want Shivaji Maharaj as a weapon. They have nothing to do with history of Shivaji Maharaj and his struggle.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak is said to be biggest inspiration ‘Surma’ of freedom struggle. Bal Gangadhar Tilak opposed the progressive campaigns the province of Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj. Brahmins of that time carried on the task of opposing the reservation that Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj started on 26^th July 1902 and Bal Gangadhar Tilak was its ‘Surma’ leader. In 1918 when ‘South bureau commission’ visited India that time Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj was alive.

Based on the advice of Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Bhaskar Rao Jadhav who was a president of ‘Satyashodak samaj’ submitted a written memorandum in which he demanded representation in the constituent assembly that was going to be constituted. On the advice of Shahu Maharaj he demanded that non-Brahmin people must get a representation, Balgangadhar Tilak strongly opposed this.

That time the words such as Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes were not used, the word ‘brahmanettar’ (non-brahmins) was used, he demanded representation in constituent Assembly. Lot of people are not aware that before British came to India right to make laws for entire public was with Brahmins. When British began thinking of leaving India there the question arose in front of them: who will perform the task of making laws to the entire public here? With this question hanging in front of them they developed thinking of forming Constituent Assembly. Before British came to India Brahmin organization were making laws; then British thought that ‘after we leave there must be an organization that will perform the function of making law’. For this purpose British had made an attempt to constitute Constituent Assembly, in this our people must get representation, for this reason on the advice of Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Bhaskar Rao Jadhav submitted a written memorandum to South bureau commission.

This written memorandum is available even today. Babasaheb Dr.Ambedkar also submitted one written memorandum. Bal Gangadhar Tilak took special efforts to oppose Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj promoted initiative that our people must get representation in the Constituent Assembly. In between Kolhapu and Belgaum there is a village named Athni that is located just outside the border of Kolhapur Province. Tilak went there and organized a public meeting, and in this public meeting Tilak made a public speech. What did he say in his public speech? He said “Are Teli, Tamboli and Kunbhats want to enter Parliament to plough?” He not only said this but it got published in his newspaper ‘Kesri’ whose editor is Bal Gangadhar Tilak and what is special is that Brahmins only gave him the title of ‘Lokmanya’.

They are such a strange people that instead of giving him the title of ‘Bhatmanya’ they gave him the title of ‘Lokmanya’, and they did not even consult us. This is because these are not people, and they are animals, what is the need to consult them! In this way Tilak gave made statement that are Teli, Tamboli and Kunbhats want to enter Parliament to plough? Is Parliament a land which can be ploughed? Will Teli extract oil by entering Parliament; will dargi stitch clothes by entering Parliament? Kunbis meaning Kurmis must keep in mind that they are not referred as even Kunbi but referred as Kunbhat. When Brahmin is called ‘Bamon’ then it is bad word and when Kunbi is called ‘Kunbhat’ it is a bad word.

Tilak said in public meeting that “do Kunbhats want to enter Parliament to plough?” This sentence, is it taught in history? Only ‘Freedom is my birthright and I will attain it’ is taught in history, but is it taught that he said that “do Kunbhats want to enter Parliament to plough?” You teach this and teach that also. If both are taught and both are jointly read then it will be known that freedom struggle of Tilak was not freedom struggle, this gets proved. Babasaheb Dr.Ambedkar addressed written memorandum to South Bureau commission, so also Bhaskar Rao Jadhav, but Bal Gangadhar Tilak objecting to the memorandum of Bhaskar rao Jadhav organized public meeting in Athni village and in his public speech he opposed demand for representation. Bal Gangadhar Tilak refrained from uttering the name of Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar who submitted the memorandum to demand representation for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes people. Why did he refained? He refrained because if he had to utter the words ‘Mahar-Mang then his personality would have been polluted from the untouchables. Perhaps he must have thought this way that he would have been come under the impact of untouchability.