Let me start with telling you the answer so that there is no suspense over anything that I am going to write below. No, Babasaheb never joined Congress and was never part of Congress party. Now, you can go ahead and read some other article on our website!

If you are interested in knowing why I am writing this article, go ahead with reading it.

From Congress to BJP/RSS leaders and social media influencers from time to time keep on mentioning that Babasaheb Ambedkar was part of Congress, spreading misinformation and misguiding people. Congress leaders do in an attempt to appropriate the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar and partially to take pride that the most genius person of India was once part of their political party.

BJP on the other hand, try to blame Congress and attack for the reason the same reason asking why Dr Ambedkar left Congress. In doing so, BJP leaders and influencers imply that something is wrong with the Congress party hence Dalits should follow BJP.

Read also – Should Dalits Try to Save Dying Congress or Unplug its Oxygen?

Both Congress and BJP leaders or activists are wrong.

Babasaheb Ambedkar never joined Congress. He was a part of Congress led government, not Congress political party. There is a difference between these two, becoming a part of the ruling government and joining that ruling party. Quite often one can see in many European countries, ruling party invite leaders from the opposition parties as well to become ministers. Once the ruling party sees that some opposition candidate is worth having in its government to make better decisions or policies or to run government better, it invites that person to join the government but that does not mean the opposition candidate has become part of the ruling political party.

Read also – Dr. Ambedkar, Congress, BJP and RSS

The 26 April 1948 edition of The Indian Express carried an article on Ambedkar’s speech headlined ‘Scheduled Castes Asked to ‘Capture Power”.

Babasaheb Ambedkar instead had advised Dalits to stay away from Congress and form their own political party. Babasaheb Ambedkar explains all this in his writings on why did he join the Congress government.

Following excerpts are from BAWS, Vol. 17, part 3, page 389-91.

My joining the Congress Government has created a great amount of confusion among the Scheduled Castes and I want to clear their suspicion and doubts. The British did not honour their declarations and recognized Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs as the only communities to whom power could be transferred.

I am asked why, after a fight for twenty-five years against the Congress, I choose to remain silent at that crucial juncture. After all, it is not the best strategy to fight all the time. We have also to restore to other measures.

The British left us in the lurch and our community was divided. There were many fifth columnists in our ranks. It was not in our interest to come into conflict with such a mighty organization at that time.

We followed the policy of conciliation and have attained success to a great extent. If we did not get all what we wanted, still we got a lot. We have received reservation in the legislatures and services and most of our demands have been accepted. The demand for separate electorates has not been conceded but we should not be ashamed of it as other minorities have also failed in this respect. That is not the time to come to a conflict with the Congress and we should get as much as we can by conciliation and
cooperation.

I have joined the central government but have not become a member of the Congress and have no intention to do so. I was invited by the Congress to join the central government and I had joined it unconditionally. I shall come out any time. I think it is useless to stay there. Our condition is such that it is necessary that our men should be in the administrative machinery. There is no fear of just legislation, but even good laws may be badly administered and if the government is composed of persons who are by tradition against the interests of the Scheduled Castes, then there can be no hope for us. Begar— forced labour—has no sanction of the law, but it is being enacted by the zamindars and petitions of the Scheduled Castes have been ignored because the officers who receive these petitions are in many cases relatives of the oppressors. If some Scheduled Castes members had been in office, they would have given proper protection to their brethren.

If I join the Congress, I will do so after declaring my intention. If it will be in the interest of the Scheduled Castes, I will advise you to do so. But until I openly ask you to join the Congress, do not join.

The Backward Classes had suffered because of their aloofness. They must forge a united front in order to wrest political power from the higher classes. The system of adult franchise had brought political power to the masses and in my opinion, if two crore Scheduled Castes and one crore Backward Classes’ people in the UP join hands against a common target they could return 50 per cent of their members to the legislature and capture political power. I shall have no objection if the Backward Classes form a separate front against higher castes. It is deplorable that the Scheduled Castes and the Backward Classes are not conscious of their power with the result that higher castes were dominating the administration.

Read also – BJP and Congress; Two Sides of the Same Hindutva Coin