ABSTRACT
The entry of Gandhi and Ambedkar into national Dalit politics reconfigured Dalit politics and activism irretrievably and had far-reaching consequences at the national as well as the regional levels. Those regional Dalit forces that agreed with Gandhi and his ‘ism’ became moderate in their outlook, and thus, posed no real threat either to the caste system or to the socio-economic and political domination of the upper castes. But those regional Dalit forces that agreed with Ambedkar and his ideas rejuvenated their activism. They demanded social equality and a share in political power with renewed vigour and determination, obviously posing a real threat to the domination of the upper castes and the very survival of caste system. Yet, the Dalit leaders in the Telugu region, unlike their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh (UP), were groomed by upper-caste social reformers, and so, Gandhi’s Congress and his Harijan Sevak Sangh became their natural destinations, as their benefactors were already part of those organisations. These Dalit leaders followed in the path of moderation unquestioningly and ended up missing a historical opportunity that presented itself in the form of Ambedkar: the chance of moving away from the shadow of the upper castes and emerging as an independent political force. This missed opportunity led to their domestication and marginalisation in the political realm by the upper castes in post-independence Andhra Pradesh (AP).
