On 6th December 1992, the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya was demolished. It was a leap ahead for the right-wing fundamentalist forces in the direction of majoritarianism. The demolition of the mosque was a clear break from what our national liberation movement and our Constitution stood for. Hindus and Muslims fought shoulder to shoulder against imperialists. The seeds of distrust and disharmony were sown in those days which resulted in the horrendous partition of the subcontinent. Even after that horrific event, India, its leaders, its constitution and above all the common people refused to accept religion as the demarcating line of society and instead chose tolerance, plurality and secularism as the binders of society.

The demolition of Babri Mosque on 6th December was yet another vulgar attempt to demonise the Muslims and paint them as the ‘outside enemy’. The demolition of the Babri Mosque was the execution of a long cherished plan of the legatees of Golwalkar and Hedgewar of casting India in the mould of a Hindu theocratic state. On the 6Th of December, it was not just an architectural structure with historical value that got mutilated, rather history itself got mutilated, the wounds of which are still raw in the collective conscience of the oppressed of this country. It was an attempt to obliviate the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar, Periyar, Phule and Birsa Munda who fought stood for and fought for the principles of justice and equality.

Since their inception, the RSS and other Hindutva forces have maintained their commitment to the hierarchical division of society on the lines of religion and caste informed by Manu’s sense of purity and pollution. It was no accident that the day they chose for the demolition was associated with one of the tallest crusaders against caste system and hierarchies. 6th of December marks the Mahaparinirvan of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. As the students of Babasaheb and Krantijyoti Savitrimai, the oppressed of this country, are marching ahead to reach out and ensure justice and equality, from political to social, the RSS and other Hindutva forces are pushing the nation onto the path of exclusion, extermination and hierarchy. At the symbolic level the right wing forces attempted to undermine history and invisibalise the legacy of Ambedkar by remembering 6th of December as “Shaurya Diwas” to mark the violence and violation of the Kar Sevaks.

Unambiguously one may say that that every project undertaken by the Sang Parivar is one built upon violence, silencing and exclusion drawing from the majority religion whose sole caretakers they claim to be. They stand in opposition to the modern, secular ideas upheld by Ambedkar. Having experienced the barbarity of Hinduism and dedicating his life in opposing them, Ambedkar was firm in his his resolve that though he might have been born a Hindu he will never die as one. As the ultimate rebellion against the brahmanical violence, in 1935, Ambedkar rejected Hinduism and embraced Buddhism.

On the difficult path of achieving equality and social justice for all, Babasaheb conducted a thorough inquiry of all major religions including Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism before choosing a politically engaged version of Buddhism, called Navayana, as his faith. It can be inferred from his works that for him, religion was for the human and not vice-versa. For him the function of religion was the moral upliftment of an individual. For the Sangh Parivar, it was always political mobilization against “others”. While Ambedkar visualized a “New Human”, purged from the impurities of caste, patriarchy and inequality, the Sangh Parivar on the other hand wished to retain these shackles.

Dr. Ambedkar reinterpreted Buddhism for modern times with the sole concern of creating a blueprint of society and societal structure based on mutual respect and equality as a direct opposition to the oppressive and rigid caste system sanctioned by Brahmanism. Fighting his crusade against the “division of labourers”, Ambedkar pushed for liberty. This liberty included social mobility for all sections of society which was to be achieved by inculcating constitutional morality, which was a secular and non-partisan principle.

The RSS and its affiliates are bereft of any idea of constitutionalism and constitutional morality and uphold the fixated division of society in upper and lower castes as sanctified by Manusmriti. It should be kept in mind at all times that those who observe “Shaurya Diwas” and those who swear by Manusmriti are one and the same people and one and same organization, hell bent on undoing Ambedkar’s efforts for creating a non-hierarchical society.

Observance of 6th December to remember the vision of Ambedkar is especially important in these times when the deeply problematic decision of the Supreme Court on the Ayodhya Title Dispute has emboldened the stance of Hindutva forces. It should be understood in light of Ambedkar’s work and teachings, that the fight to ensure justice shall be championed by the marginalised and oppressed.

Despite all the posturing done by the RSS and its ilk to try and recast Ambedkar as one among them, it is absolutely clear that the only interest the right wing forces hold is to polarize the society and draw political-electoral gains. For this cooption is the preferred methodology. Mere garlanding of Babasaheb’s statues is not fooling anyone. Each time portions regarding Ambedkar are deleted from the school textbooks, the real face of the Brahmanical forces is out in the open.

Ambedkar's increasing relevance in India gives hope to everyone who dreams of a society free of hierarchies, a society based on equality and dignity. Ambedkar’s mahaparinirvana is yet another occasion to renew our zeal and commitment to unwaveringly move forward in the path of resistance against the powers to be. His legacy and relevance is also an undying challenge to the reactionary and divisive forces in the country that seek to perpetrate hierarchy and humiliation in society. It is high time we recognise the power structures of caste, patriarchy, religious majoritarianism and thwart their attempts at distorting the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar. The demolition of Babri is a dark blot on the social, legal and constitutional history of India. The champions of that act are now at helm threatening everything Ambedkar stood for – liberty, equality and fraternity. As citizens of a secular republic it is imperative that we know and understand the enormity of 6th December and draw hope and resistance in this collective fight to ensure equality and dignity for all. (IPA Service)