While Remembering Babasaheb Ambedkar, We Must Not Forget Babu Jagjivan Ram

Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasahab, is one of the most illustrious figures of modern India who dedicated his whole life to awaken the conscience of the people of India. He was a great social reformer, a valiant champion of human rights and an emancipator of the weaker sections of society.

Writing about his selection, Ambedkar wrote, “I came into the Constituent Assembly with no greater aspiration than to safeguard the interests of the Scheduled Castes. I had not the remotest idea that I would be called upon to undertake more responsible functions. I was, therefore, surprised when the Assembly elected me to the Drafting Committee. I was more than surprised when the Drafting Committee elected me to be its chairman.” 

By the glowing accounts of all his contemporaries, he did an excellent job as architect of the constitution.

The Constitution of India was basically a product of the Indian freedom struggle against British colonialism. It also reflected the ideology of the class forces that led this struggle. It was not surprising that 82% of the Constituent Assembly members belonged to the Congress Party. The four main leaders of the Congress in the assembly were Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad and Maulana Azad. Nehru and Azad were left of centre and Patel and Prasad were right of centre. Ambedkar was certainly left of centre.

The concepts of parliamentary democracy, adult suffrage, secularism, federalism, separation of powers and fundamental rights that are enshrined in the Constitution flowed from the century-old freedom struggle, the communal holocaust during partition, the syncretic culture of the country and also from the norms of the Western democracies. The section on directive principles of State policy was a new addition and it flowed from the growing influence of the socialist stream in the country and from the Irish Constitution which alone had a similar section. 

In the collective drafting of all the above sections Ambedkar’s role was, of course, crucial. But nowhere was it more decisive than in the section on affirmative action to correct the historical injustice heaped on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The law abolishing untouchability, laws against discrimination and the reservations policy in education, jobs and political bodies were the welcome results of this affirmative action.

Ambedkar’s radicalism

Ambedkar’s social radicalism is a universally acknowledged and appreciated fact. His seminal work The Annihilation of Caste and other valuable writings, apart from the struggles that he led, are a testimony to his life and work. But what is conveniently swept aside not only by vested interests, but also by his followers, is his economic radicalism. There appears to be a conspiracy of silence on this vital aspect.

When Jawaharlal Nehru placed the famous Objectives Resolution before the very first session of the Constituent Assembly on December 9, 1946, Ambedkar responded in his speech: 

“There are here certain provisions which speak of justice, economic, social and political. If this Resolution has a reality behind it and a sincerity, of which I have not the least doubt, coming as it does from the Mover of the Resolution, I should have expected some provision whereby it would have been possible for the State to make economic, social and political justice a reality and I should have from that point of view expected the Resolution to state in most explicit terms that in order that there may be social and economic justice in the country, that there would be nationalisation of industry and nationalisation of land. I do not understand how it could be possible for any future Government which believes in doing justice socially, economically and politically, unless its economy is a socialistic economy.”     

Ambedkar vs Hindutva

Considering his deep antipathy to, and rebellion against, the caste system inherent in Hinduism and his staunch advocacy of democracy, Ambedkar was naturally opposed to communalism of all hues, and especially of the Hindutva variety. His writings are permeated with his opposition to communalism and his championing of secularism. 

Throughout, Ambedkar was a sworn opponent of both the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha. 

In one of his many forthright quotations, Ambedkar wrote:

“Hindutva is a political ideology of the same character as the fascist and/or Nazi ideology and thoroughly anti-democratic. If Hindutva is let loose it will prove a menace to the growth of others who are outside Hinduism and are opposed to Hinduism. This is not the point of view of Muslims alone. It is also the point of view of the Depressed Classes and also of the Non-Brahmins.”  (Source Material on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Movement of Untouchables, Volume 1, P. 241) 

A major struggle waged by Ambedkar as India’s first Union law minister against Hindu orthodoxy was on the issue of the Hindu Code Bill. It was also a struggle for the rights of women. When the bill was stalled, Ambedkar resigned from the Union cabinet in 1951.  

Ambedkar’s renowned last address to the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, makes his ideas crystal clear:

“We must make our political democracy a social democracy as well. Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy. What does social democracy mean? It means a way of life which recognises liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life. These principles of liberty, equality and fraternity are not to be treated as separate items in a trinity. They form a union or trinity in the sense that to divorce one from the other is to defeat the very purpose of democracy.”

Babu Jagjivan Ram

Jagjivan Ram, endearingly called Babuji, occupies a distinctive position in the history of modern India. Born on April 5, 1908, he was a multi-faceted personality who, after his primary education, became an eminent freedom fighter, parliamentarian, an administrator and a great champion of the depressed class.

Jagjivan Ram joined the Arrah Town School in 1922. It was here for the first time that the young Jagjivan came face to face with the oppressive caste discrimination and bigotry of the upper castes that shackled his community for centuries and put abhorrent limits on him and his community’s life. The school had separate water pitchers for Hindu and Muslim students.  Some upper-caste boys refused to drink water out of the earthen pitcher touched by Jagjivan Ram and a separate pitcher was installed for the scheduled castes. Outraged, Jagjivan Ram refused to tolerate this insult and broke the pitcher and when it was replaced he broke it again. Taking note of his protest, the headmaster ordered that a common pitcher be installed for all the students.  Though Jagjivan won his point, the discriminatory treatment meted out to him filled his heart with both grief and anger. In spite of this, he passed his matriculation in first division and 100% both in Sanskrit and Mathematics. By the time he passed high school, he had earned the reputation of being a cut above the rest.

In 1925, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya visited Arrah and Jagjivan Ram, on the basis of his being the best student in the school, was asked to read the welcome address. Deeply impressed by the erudition and panache of the young Ram, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, invited Jagjivan Ram to study at the Banaras Hindu University. At the same time, the Christian Mission at the Chandwa had also offered to bear the expense of his education and urged his mother to send Jagjivan to Lucknow and then to America for higher studies. However, after some deliberations she turned them down. Vasanti Devi felt that changing religion was not an answer to the oppressive caste system and advised Jagjivan to join the Banaras Hindu University.

His foray into politics and freedom struggle

In 1934, an earthquake struck Bihar. Jagjivan Ram rushed to North Bihar to organise relief work. He worked day and night to organise clothing, shelter, medical aid and other relief supplies for the people affected by the calamity. It was here during his work in the relief camps that he met Mahatma Gandhi for the first time, and realised that Gandhi was the only national leader, who was fighting not only for the independence of the country but also for the emancipation of the depressed classes and Harijans.

In 1936, when he was just 28 years old, Jagjivan Ram began his parliamentary career as a nominated member of the Bihar Legislative Council. In 1937, he stood as a candidate of the Depressed Classes League and was elected unopposed to the Bihar Legislative Assembly, the East Central Shahabad (Rural) and he also ensured the unopposed victory of his Depressed Classes League candidates in all the 14 reserved constituencies. With such an unopposed and decisive victory, Babuji emerged as the kingmaker. Subsequently, the Congress invited him to join them.

Under their policy of divide and rule, the British wanted to set up a puppet government in Bihar.  For this they needed his support. They offered a large sum of money and a ministerial berth and other political benefits to buy his support. He did not even consider it.  

National leaders and the masses praised this act of patriotism and integrity. Gandhiji said that Jagjivan Ram had emerged as pure as gold in the test of fire.

In 1942, during the Quit India Movement, Jagjivan Ram joined the Congress leadership in Bombay. After the AICC passed the Quit India resolution and most leaders were arrested, he played a key role in carrying the movement forward and making it a success. He returned to Bihar to organise a mass uprising against British rule. Due to his revolutionary efforts, he was arrested from his home in Patna on August 19, 1942 and released on 5 October 1943. In the following years, he held several rallies condemning British suppression of India’s freedom movement.

In the 1946 Central Elections, he won unopposed from East Central Shahabad (Rural) and represented the depressed classes before the Cabinet Mission in Shimla, defending their rights and national unity. On August 30, 1946, he was among twelve leaders invited by Viceroy Wavell to join the Interim Government. As the sole Dalit representative, he took charge of the labour portfolio from September 2, 1946.

In 1974, he took charge as the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation and organised the Public Distribution System (PDS) to ensure affordable food access. Across all ministries he led, Jagjivan Ram delivered high-quality governance, using political power as a tool to transform people’s lives and promote welfare through bold and thoughtful initiatives.

He played a dominant role in the Indian National Congress right from 1937. During the pre-Independence period, he held key offices at the state level. After Independence, he became the axis for both party affairs and governance of the country. He was a member of the All India Congress Committee from 1940 to 1977, served on its Working Committee from 1948 to 1977, and was in the Central Parliamentary Board from 1950 to 1977. His astute political acumen made him indispensable to leaders like Nehru and Indira Gandhi. He was the mind of the government and the party.  

In 1966, after Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death, however, internal power struggles emerged. The party split into two factions: the Syndicate  – consisting of the old guards like Morarji Desai, K. Kamaraj, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy – and the Progressives – Indira Gandhi, Jagjivan Ram, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. In 1969, the split formalised into Congress (O) and the Congress led by Jagjivan Ram. At the Bombay session in December 1969, Babuji was elected unanimously as the party president and thereafter, he worked to rebuild the party which had weakened its hold in many states.

As the food and agriculture minister

Jagjivan Ram assumed charge of the Minister of Food and Agriculture at a difficult juncture, first from March 1967 to June 1970 and then again from October 1974 to February 1977. It was the late sixties, when the country was reeling under a severe food shortage following two years of drought but Babuji concentrated on the growth of agriculture, food production and PDS, and ensured food security and availability of food at reasonable price for millions of people of the country.

This was a time when India was dependent on foodgrain imports and was struggling to find innovative measures to increase agricultural production and relied heavily on imports. Babuji was convinced that the growth of the national economy rested with agricultural self-sufficiency.

He introduced a number of new measures and reoriented agricultural policies to achieve record food production. Key initiatives among them were – accelerating irrigation programmes, resolving inter-state water disputes, the National Seeds Programme for production of quality seeds and promotional campaigns for fertiliser use. The adoption of improved agricultural practices, cultivation of high-yielding varieties and other efforts, crop production was taken to new heights.

He also realised that PDS was an effective mechanism to manage the supply chain of foodgrains to the common people. An increased emphasis was placed on domestic procurement, which reduced the country’s reliance on imports. Under his leadership, public distribution of foodgrains became a regular feature of national food management.

Another important contribution of Jagjivan Ram was in the field of land reforms, aiming to transform the rural economy. Following the 1976 chief ministers’ conference, considerable progress was made in implementing these reforms. He also focused on animal husbandry and dairying, inland fisheries, improving forest cover, domestic foodgrain procurement, and strengthening the PDS through buffer stocks and incentive pricing for farmers.

In 1975, during his second term as food minister, there was a global shortage of foodgrains but India managed the crisis with his effective policy measures. He introduced measures like de-hoarding campaigns, expansion and streamlining of the PDS, and boosting production. His practical and impactful policies not only succeeded in managing the crisis but also shaped India’s long-term policy framework to food and agriculture.

As defence minister

As a defence minister, Jagjivan Ram proved to be a tough taskmaster. He took over the reins in June 1970, when the threat of war was knocking at India’s eastern and western borders. By December 1971, India successfully fought a war against Pakistan in which our armed forces emerged victorious under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. 

As many as 93,000 soldiers of Pakistan surrendered, and a new nation – Bangladesh – was born. With his unmatched ingenuity, Babuji managed the ministry affairs and not only motivated the armed forces to fight for the liberation of another country, but also kept his promise to the people that the war would be fought on Indian soil.

In the lead-up to the 1971 war, he, as defence minister, visited Army formations and units in Punjab and other border areas, assessing preparedness. He also addressed civilians, explaining to them the emerging situation. Lt. Gen. K.P. Candeth, who was the then Commander of the Western Command, later recounted these visits in the following words:

“Shri Jagjivan Ram went down well with the soldiers. He is a wonderful speaker who can carry his audience with him and he never makes the mistake of talking down to them, but manages to convey the impression that he is one of them… I had to brief him on the operational situation and war plans and was struck by his incisiveness and quick grasp of the root of a problem. My admiration grew during the initial reverses we had… He used to ring me, normally in the morning, and in his slow drawl ask me how it was going and if I could cope with the situation, and being told that there was no cause to worry and that I could deal with it, he used to wish me good luck and ring off. He never seemed excited, bothered or flurried and his phlegmatism did much to inspire confidence.”

How does one compare the two great personalities? 

Mohan Dharia, former Union minister and a 'Young Turk' answered this the best:

“Many are tempted to compare Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram. I believe that such a comparison is not fair as both of them had their unique personalities and different approaches. While Ambedkar was a rebellious revolutionary, Babu Jagjivan Ram who as a freedom fighter was grown in the non-violent movement believed in the process of evolutionary reforms. He always felt that without converting the minds of the majority of citizens and securing their support, minorities would not be able to enjoy sustainable social justice and lead honourable life. Both of them had dedicated their lives for the upliftment of the downtrodden. Dr. Ambedkar was the founder of the Republican Party and Babu Jagjivan Ram was the creator of the All India Depressed Classes League. Both of them prevailed on the whole of the society to recognize the agonies and injustices suffered by the depressed classes and set a role model through their leadership.”

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.