In Response to "Battle of Bhima-Koregaon" by Dr. A.K. Biswas

I M Sharma

I cannot agree to or support 'dalits' glorifying their own role in Koregaon war, and, more horribly, Ambedkar glorifying the 'glorious role' of the so-called 'dalits' in helping Clive win the Battle of Plassey etc.  Ambedkar was a British loyalist to the last. He never participated in but always opposed our national movement for freedom. His only merit politically and socially was that he stood steadfastly for the interests of his own community - depressed classes - but in that course he went to an extreme. He would have been quite comfortable with the continuance of the British Rule for some more long decades and perhaps he yearned for the same in his heart. No self-respecting nation can admire and iconize such a person who openly opposed its national struggle for freedom and 'admiringly and openly' sided with its enemies, but this is India where all things can and do happen.

And it is also self-contradictory to their movement or stance in a manner. Here they support and glorify a pro-British war operation and their participation in it [though they might have equally fought on the side of Peshwas if only some of their demands at least were met! - or in that even, at least remained neutral]. But coming to the exploits of Tipu Sultan which took place some decades earlier to this war, they or many of them glorify him for fighting against the British [who were not as settled as the British during Koregaon times even] and Tipu was at war not only with the British but against many native rulers too. So I think there is nothing glorifying in their fighting on the side of the British. Moreover, as Wikipedia informs, if 22 dalits were killed or at least so mentioned in the British set-up Martyrs plaque, there are 16 Marathas and 8 Rajputs also who figure in it, fighting on the side of the British against the Peshwas! That means more number of high caste people died on the side of the British than the dalits [as officially acknowledged and commemorated by the British]. 

Recently our ex-R.S.S. activist - President of India had also lionized Tipu Sultan and his valor in fighting and dying in war with the British. If fighting against the British is the sole virtue, then Mahar soldiers fighting along with the British and vanquishing or contributing to vanquish Marathas in Bheema Koregaon battle which they so much lionize should be a vice. Is it not so?

- I. Mallikarjuna Sharma, Advocate and Editor, LAW ANIMATED WORLD.

Feb 18, 2018