BOOK REVIEW | Iconoclast by Anand Teltumbde Discusses Rescuing Ambedkar from Right-Wing Appropriation

Published : Nov 27, 2024 08:49 IST - 8 MINS READ There have been quite a few biographies of B.R. Iconoclast: A Reflective Biography of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar attempts to revisit and analyse Ambedkar’s life and ideas in the light of the rise of Hindutva and the failure of anti-caste struggles to counter both “Brahminism and capitalism”. Recalling Ambedkar’s stringent critique of Hinduism as a menace to liberty, equality, and fraternity, Teltumbde does not shy away from saying: “.but the depth of degeneration of Dalits had reached such lows that they are completely blinded by their identitarian blinkers even to these stark facts and fall prey to the intrigues of the Hindutva forces.” Teltumbde traces back some of the rot to Ambedkar’s own controversial propositions. An imperfect understanding of other marginalised groups Teltumbde locates the “problem of displacement” of class in Ambedkar’s thinking in a wider neglect and, on occasions, an imperfect and even prejudicial understanding of other marginalised groups. Teltumbde traces some of Ambedkar’s limitations in mobilising larger constituencies incorporating other marginalised groups to historical exigencies: “The contradiction between the expansion of the constituency through class politics and the consequent diminishing attention to the core constituency always weighed heavy on his mind….