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 26th 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.
