Lalu Prasad Yadav, in e recent interview with the Economic Times, claimed that the RSS/BJP are working on the Golwalkar’s idea of Brahmanised Hindu India. He asserted that the RSS/BJP does not believe in Dr. Ambedkar and his thoughts. They only pay lip service to Babasaheb Ambedkar and his thoughts. Perhaps, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sharad Yadav are only two remarkable leaders from the OBC community who vehemently oppose the Brahminical hegemony and brahmanised Hinduism. If Hindu Raj becomes a reality, it will be worst than the British Raj. For at least the British believed in Dicey’s rule of law, but the Brahamnised Hindus only believe in rule of Manu, which is the code of caste. Lalu Prasad Yadav remarked that though he is a Hindu, he doesn’t want Hindu Raj, because that will create the hegemony of the Brahmins.

India as a democratic republic was born in 1950. It became people’s republic. However, Indian society is governed by at least 2000 years old caste system. The goal before the Indian republic is to create a real republic of people in letter, spirit, and practice. That is the reason, the caste system must die if the nation is to survive. The first condition for India to be democratic is the equal society.

After founding people’s republic that Babasaheb Ambedkar started advocating since the constitutional discussion started in the 1920s, Babasaheb Ambedkar led a bigger fight of the majority of the people. He truly represented the interests of India’s majority of the people. The task left behind by him is much bigger than founding a political nation, his task was to create a society, equal and just, that will sustain this democratic political system. He saw new India will be opposed to the old India of brahmanised caste-based Hindu religion. His deep study convinced him that Hinduism that advocates caste system is not compatible with the new India. New India needed new religion and that he found in Buddhism: the religion that will promote democracy.

Now technically though the majority of the Indians cannot be classified as the Hindus, they began to believe so as a lie repeated many times creates a semblance of truth. The OBCs in India are not technically Hindus as they are not initiated into Hinduism by any ceremony. What we have is just a ceremony for the three Varnas that initiates them into the upper castes and hence they are “twice-born”, but the failure of OBCs, except the leaders like Periyar who really challenged Brahmanised Hinduism, to understand their true status in the Brahmanical Social Order, has been one of the stumbling blocks in building new India. The OBCs must realise that their mass exodus from the Hindu fold will liberate them and make them true heir to the great forefathers like Buddha and Phule.

The OBCs in Maharashtra have been taking some lead in terms of discarding Hinduism and also going against the superstitious ideas, but it is not enough to generate traction. What is needed is a combined front that will bring down Brahmanism. Therefore, what Lalu says is true, but it is not the entire truth. They cannot be both Hindus and democratic Indians. Therefore, Lalu Prasad Yadav should start campaigning for conversion to Buddhism. It was Bihar that was the birthplace of Buddhism. The name Bihar is the Buddhist name derived from the word Vihar. Lalu should work for the larger goal now which will go beyond politics and completely aim at destroying the root of inequality in India, the Brahmanised Hinduism. After the ablution of his residence by the Brahmin priests, Akhilesh Yadav should understand that he will always Shudras to the Brahmins. The people in Maharashtra should understand that even the OBCs are the majority in the BJP, they get Brahmin as the Chief Minister, the man whose only qualification is being the volunteer of RSS.

Author – Mangesh Dahiwale, Human Rights Activist

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