B. R. Ambedkar · Politics

The Poona Pact: Who Speaks for the Voiceless?

In 1932 Ambedkar won separate electorates for the Depressed Classes - the right to elect their own representatives - only to see Gandhi threaten to fast to death against it. Their clash was a profound argument about what real political representation means for a despised minority.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Ambedkar argued a despised minority needs self-representation - separate electorates - because representatives chosen by the majority cannot be trusted to defend those the majority oppresses; that Gandhi’s fast forced the Poona Pact’s compromise of reserved seats within joint electorates;…

Leads to John Stuart Mill.

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