What were Dr. Ambedkar's views on tyranny of majority?

 

What were Dr. Ambedkar's views on tyranny of majority?

SR Darapuri, National President, All India Peoples Front

(Note: Dr. Ambedkar's thoughts are very relevant in the context of the terror of majority Hindutva in the country today)

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the principal architect of India's Constitution and a champion of social justice, held profound concerns about the "tyranny of the majority," viewing it as a fundamental threat to genuine democracy. He argued that unchecked majority rule could devolve into oppression, particularly in a society riddled with deep-seated inequalities like India's caste system, where the numerical majority (often aligned with upper castes) might dominate and marginalize minorities, including Dalits (whom he referred to as Depressed Classes), religious minorities, and other vulnerable groups. Ambedkar emphasized that democracy is not merely procedural—elections and majority decisions—but must be substantive, incorporating safeguards to prevent social and political domination. He distinguished between political tyranny (from government) and social tyranny (from society), asserting that the latter is far more insidious and pervasive, as it "enslaves the soul itself."

Ambedkar's writings and speeches repeatedly warned that majority rule should not be absolutized. In one critique, he described how Indian nationalism had morphed into a "divine right of the majority" to impose its will, labeling minority demands for power-sharing as "communalism" while majority monopolization was glorified as "nationalism." He stressed that true democracy requires "constitutional morality"—a respect for rules and opposition—rather than blind adherence to majority whims, which he saw as adopted only for "convenience" and potentially "dangerous." To counter this, he advocated for constitutional mechanisms like fundamental rights, which impose "absolute limitations" on majority power, ensuring minorities' protection.

A key aspect of his thought was the interplay between caste and majoritarianism. Ambedkar viewed caste as a barrier to equality and fraternity, enabling a "communal and fixed" majority to perpetuate domination rather than fostering an inclusive, changing political majority. He highlighted how social codes enforced against lower castes provoked "the worst form of social tyranny known to history," penetrating every aspect of life and restricting basic citizenship rights. In his view, political democracy alone was insufficient; it must evolve into social and economic democracy to avoid the majority's tyranny over minorities. He famously noted, "Political tyranny is nothing compared to the social tyranny and a reformer who defies society is a more courageous man than a politician who defies Government."

In his final speech to the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949—often called the "Grammar of Anarchy" speech—Ambedkar indirectly addressed these risks by cautioning against the monopoly of power by a few, which had historically treated the masses as "beasts of burden" and "beasts of prey." He urged preventing class struggles or wars that could divide the nation, emphasizing fraternity and equality to sustain democracy. Without these, he warned, India risked losing its democratic structure, echoing his broader fear of majoritarian excess.

Ambedkar's ideas shaped the Indian Constitution's provisions for minority rights, reservations, and checks on power, aiming to promote inclusion and oppose majority tyranny. His warnings remain relevant, reminding that democracy thrives not on majority might but on justice for all.