New Delhi, Apr 14 (PTI) As India commemorates the 135th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, his ideas today are not merely confined to history books or ceremonial tributes, but they continue to shape the vocabulary of resistance — echoing in courtrooms, classrooms, protests, and digital spaces — where debates on caste, equality, and democracy are far from settled.
He was a revolutionary thinker whose blueprint for an egalitarian, caste-free India remains deeply relevant to the nation’s contemporary socio-political discourse.
Dalit rights activist Dr Suraj Yengde said Ambedkar’s image is often used for political gain, but without acknowledging his strong criticism of the caste system.
“Ambedkar’s image is used to silence Dalit rage around any issue, to the benefit of the oppressor, who is more than happy to co-opt Ambedkar into their vicious programme of hatred and violence,” Yengde wrote in his book Caste Matters.
He pointed out how leaders turned to the Constitution during the 2024 general elections as a symbol of defiance.
“They found it a more appealing idea to attract the common mass towards Samvidhaan, as opposed to other traditional issues at hand, such as social justice, welfare programmes, education, health, taxation and the protection of the working class,” he said.
Born in 1891 in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, Ambedkar belonged to a Dalit family and battled systemic exclusion from an early age. However, his relentless pursuit of education, including doctorates from Columbia University and the London School of Economics, transformed him into one of India’s most formidable intellectuals and social reformers.
Ambedkar’s most scathing critique of the caste system came in his 1936 essay Annihilation of Caste, originally written as a speech that was never delivered due to its bold content.
“Caste is not a division of labour; it is a division of labourers. It is a hierarchy in which the division of labourers is graded one above the other,” he wrote — words that continue to resonate in classrooms, protests and policy debates around caste, reservation, and social justice.
Over time, Ambedkar’s legacy has seen a resurgence — not just through statues and portraits in public spaces but through popular culture, academic scholarship, and protest politics. While political leaders across party lines pay tribute on his anniversary, their interpretations of his legacy vary widely.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said that building a “developed and inclusive Bharat” would be the truest tribute to Ambedkar.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, has repeatedly called for a caste census, aligning it with Ambedkar’s pursuit of equality.
“Caste census is an important step towards bringing out the truth of inequality and discrimination, which its opponents do not want revealed.
“Babasaheb’s dream is still incomplete. His fight is not just for the past, it is a fight for today as well – we will fight it with all our might,” Gandhi said in a recent post.
Yet, many scholars argue that while symbolic tributes to Ambedkar have multiplied, the structural caste-based injustices he fought remain deeply entrenched.
According to 2022 data from the National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 57,582 cases were registered for crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs).
Ambedkar had foreseen dangers related to caste-based crimes and warned about it in his final speech to the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949.
“Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy…a way of life which recognises liberty, equality, fraternity as the principles of life,” he had said, as per the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches (BAWS) Vol. 13.
Beyond caste, Ambedkar’s vision extended to economic justice, education, gender rights, and state planning.
His correspondence with African-American thinker W. E. B. Du Bois reflected the global dimensions of his struggle.
There is much similarity between the position of the Untouchables in India and of the position of the African Americans in America, Ambedkar wrote in 1946, according to BAWS Vol. 10.
Dr. Yengde noted the enduring relevance of Ambedkar’s analysis of caste consciousness.
“Ambedkar had presciently observed that each caste is a nation in itself…that did not help to form a fellowship of national feeling,” he wrote in Caste Matters.
Ambedkar’s advocacy for federalism and checks on centralised power continues to resonate amid debates over democratic backsliding.
His famous assertion that “Democracy is only a top-dressing on an Indian soil which is essentially undemocratic,” from his 1949 Constituent Assembly speech, is frequently cited in discussions around majoritarianism.
Political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot, in India’s Silent Revolution (2003), discussed how Ambedkar foresaw the dangers of democracy without social equality — a warning that still casts a shadow over India’s political landscape.
In 2025, Ambedkar’s vision endures in his fundamental belief: democracy cannot thrive without social and economic justice.
As India continues to fight its battle with caste, class, and communal divides, his words from Annihilation of Caste continue to challenge and inspire: “Political tyranny is nothing compared to social tyranny, and a reformer who defies society is a much braver man than a politician who defies government.” PTI UZM AMJ AMJ AMJ
