Mahatma Gandhi, elevated to as the Father of the Nation, commands the highest pedestal among all leaders that won India its freedom. But this does not make this stalwart leader no less controversial than others. From having had a very controversial sexual life, to having major differences in opinion with Subhas Chandra Bose and other leaders of those times, the most beloved bapu‘s life, politics, opinions are matters of debate and discussion even today. A recent Reddit discussion just illustrated it so.
Mahatma Gandhi and Bhimrao Ambedkar Socialist Worker
Yesterday, a Reddit user brought out the underlying differences between Gandhi and Ambedkar. The user claims that according to some research done by him, Ambedkar was apparently elated on hearing the news of Gandhi’s assassination. So much that he had said:
My real enemy is gone; thank goodness the eclipse is over now.
The user, who went by the username “thegodofbigthings” presented two excerpts in support his point of view –
TIL Ambedkar hated Gandhi so much that upon hearing the news of his assassination he remarked “my real enemy is gone; thank goodness the eclipse is over now” from india
However, what came as a surprise was that instead of refuting the claims (which is quite common to such topics on social media nowadays), many users joined the debate to fan the provocative argument. According to some of the participants, the major difference in opinion between Ambedkar and Gandhi bordered on their distinct notions of Hinduism. While Gandhi believed that the religion can be purged of evils, such as the caste system. On the other hand, Ambedkar was of the opinion that the Hindu caste-system was more like a “multi-storeyed tower with no staircase”, hence, there was no way to escape the same.
According to one user, some Dalits do not even like if they are being called Harijan, a name given by Gandhi. And that was the major standpoint of difference between these two towering leaders of Indian politics.
It is no doubt that Ambedkar and Gandhi differed in their views about the Indian caste system and its effects on the Indian society.
What is your viewpoint? Do you think Gandhi was right in being able to change the rigid caste system, or do you agree with Ambedkar?